Baos..  Oootn.  V 


MEMOIRS  OF  MY  DAY 

In  and.  Out  of  Mormondom. 


BY 


CHARLES  W.   HEMENWAY, 

A   JOURNALIST. 


WRITTEN    IN    PRISDN 


While  the  Author  was  undergoing  sentence 
for  alleged  libel. 


SALT   LAKE    CITY,    UTAH, 
FEBRUARY,  1887. 


,H3 


Copyright  applied  for  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the 
year  1887,  by 

CHARLES   W.  HEMENWAY, 
All  Rights  Reserved. 


Printed  by  the 

DESERET    NEWS    COMPANY, 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 


_ibrary 


TO 
HIS   WELL-BELOVED   AND   EVER   AMIABLE  WIFE, 

IRETA, 

THIS   VENTURE   OF   HIS    PEN   IS 

AFFECTIONATELY   INSCRIBED   AS   A   SLIGHT   TOKEN 
OF   HIS   GRATITUDE   FOR    HER    COMFORTING  KINDNESS,  AND 

IN    COMMEMORATION   OF 

HER    PERFECT   FIDELITY   AND   HAPPY   COURAGE 

IN   THE   HOUR   OF   CRUEL   TRIAL, 

AS   EVER, BY 

THE    AUTHOR. 


PREFATORY. 


IT  was  not  my  intention  to  write  a  complete 
autobiography;  neither  was  it  my  purpose  to 
compose  a  learned  or  profound  work  when  I  un- 
dertook the  task  of  writing  this  small  volume.  I 
have  written  merely  to  while  away  the  dreary 
hours  of  confinement,  and  not  with  the  idea  of 
furnishing  any  very  startling  narrative  from  a 
life  which  has  not  yet  numbered  its  twenty- 
seventh  year.  Incidentally  I  have  recorded  some 
passing  recollections  as  they  came  to  my  mind 
without  any  effort  at  embellishment.  During  the 
past  two  or  more  years  prior  to  my  incarceration, 
I  edited  a  Mormon  paper  in  Ogden,  Utah,  and  in 
that  capacity  became  somewhat  familiar  with  the 
character  and  peculiar  institutions  of  the  Mormon 
people.  My  residence  among  them  is  adverted 
to  merely  as  an  incident  in  my  experience,  and 
not  with  any  design  to  influence  the  solution  of 
the  Mormon  question. 

CHARLES  W.  HEMENWAY. 
OODEN,  1887. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Birth  and  Parents. — An  Overgrown  and  Awkward  Boy.— As 
Book-keeper  and  Student. — Branching  out  in  Poetry. — 
"Lourne  and  Lucadie." — Leaving  Home.  Page  1 

CHAPTER  II. 

Beginning  a  .Pilgrimage.— A  Veiled  Female. — The  Story  of 
her  Ruin.— At  New  York  City. — Disregarding  Formali- 
ties of  Etiquette. — Among  Jeweled  Dames.— At  Wash- 
ington.— Congressmen  not  Demi-Gods.  9 

CHAPTER  III. 

Short  of  Funds. — A  Voyage  to  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil. — 
Homesickness. — A  hasty  Return.— Changed  by  Experi- 
ence.— Penniless  and  Friendless  in  the  Streets  of  New 
Orleans.  18 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Not  every  Man  that  cares  to  practice  his  own  Philosophy. — 
Adventures  in  New  Orleans.  25 

CHAPTER  V. 

Struggling  -with  Fortune. — A  lucky  Sale  of  Manuscript. — 
Trusting  to  the  Promptings  of  an  inner  Monitor.  32 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Where  Gen.  Jacksoa  whipped  the  British.— Col.  Varres. — 
Again  at  Sea.— Conjugal  Infidelity  and  Murder.  38 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Forebodings.— Shipwrecked.— Coffined  among  Shells  and 
Sharks.  45 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Adrift  in  Open  Boats. — Dashed  upon  the  Sand. — Through 
Mexico.— Sefior  Luna's  Family.  53 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

To  Guaymas.— In  a  Pest-house. — Saved  by  Sisters  of  Charity. 
— To  San  Francisco  and  Australia. — A  Horrible  Scene.  60 

CHAPTER  X. 

Back  to  the  Pacific  Coast. — In  Southern  Arizona  and  New 
Mexico. — To  the  Sandwich  Islands  as  a  Secret  Agent. — 
Eccentric  Colonel  Norris.  68 

CHAPTER  XI. 

In  Honolulu.— The  Kanakas. — Ah  Fong,  a  Chinese  Million, 
aire,  and  his  unfortunate  Daughter.  75 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Kauai. — Kapaa. — Colonel  R.  Z.  Spaulding. — The  Condition 
of  Laborers  in  Hawaii.  81 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

As  a  Spy. — A  Christmas  Celebration. — As  Government  In- 
spector of  Roads.  —Native  Habits  and  Costumes.  88 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Before  Hon.  Rollin  JVJ.  Daggett. — Editor  of^  the  Advertiser. 
— His  Excellency  Walter  Murray  Gibson,  a  Remarkable 
Genius.  94 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Exceptional  Opportunities.— Tolam  Palace. — His  Majesty 
King  Kalakaua  and  Queen  Kapiolani. — Punchbowl. — 
Laie,  the  Mormon  Plantation.  101 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Coronation  of  King  Kalakaua. — Among  would-be  Revolu- 
tionists.— Speech-making  for  his  Life.— A  Suicide.  109 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Maui  and  Hawaii. — Claus  Spreckels  and  Spreckelsville.— 
Haleakala.— Kilauea.— The  Legend  of  the  Beautiful 
Hawaiian  Princess.  116 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Back  again  to  Native  Land. — Editor  of  the  Salem,  Oregon, 
Talk. — A  Rustic  journey  to  Baker  City. — In  Boise  City  , 
Idaho.  127 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

In  Utah  at  Last. — Payson  a  Place  of  Destiny. — In  Love.— 
The  Result.  134 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Prove  City.— Installed  in  the  Enquirer  Office. — Editor  of  the 
Ogden  Daily  Herald. — Married. — To  Ireta.  142 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Some  Account  of  Miss  Ireta  Dixon  and  her  Family. — Utah 
Girls  make  Good  Wives.  149 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
A  Sketch  of  the  Libel  Suits.— In  Jail.— "Good  Bye."          155 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

About  the  Mormons.— The  Wonderful  Religion  of  the  Latter- 
day  Saints.  '  169 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Plural  Marriage.  —  Miscellaneous. — Scenery. —  Railroads  — 
Mining  Resources  176 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Mormon  Problem. — Utah  Court*.  —  Open  Venire.— The 
Crusade.  184 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Three  Souls  with  but  a  single  Thought;    Three  Hearts  that 
beat  as  one.  192 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
A  Symposium  of  Personalities.— Conclusion.— An  Revoir.  201 

APPENDIX  A.  245 

APPENDIX  H.  -  -  -        257 


MEMOIRS  OF  MY  DAY 

In  and  Out  ot  Mormondom. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Birth  and  Parents. — An  Overgrown  and  Awkward  Boy.— As 
Book-keeper  and  Student. — Branching  out  in  Poetry. — 
"Lourne  and  Lucadie." — Leaving  Home. 

old  family  Bible,  stained  with  age  and 
usage,  contains  the  first  record  of  the  fact 
that  Charles  W.  Hemenway  was  born  in 
Makee  township,  Allamakee  County,  State  of 
Iowa,  on  the  22d  day  of  March,  1-860.  His 
parents  were  both  born  in  the  State  of  New  York 
and  they  first  settled  in  Iowa  when  that  common- 
wealth was  a  Territory,  inhabited  chiefly  by 
wild  Indians.  When  the  object  of  our  sketch 
first  saw  the  light  his  father  was  a  farmer  in  good 
circumstances.  He  was  then  a  strong,  tall,  vigor- 
ous man,  with  sandy  or  red  beard  and  light 
brown  hair  which  is  now  white  as  driven  snow, 
for  he  is  seventy-four  years  of  age.  He  was 


2  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 

never  married  but  once,  and  the  wife  of  his  youth- 
ful choice  still  lives.  This  venerable  man  and 
his  aged  consort  have  passed  a  happy  and  pro- 
longed existence  together.  They  have  had  only 
two  children.  The  first  was  a  daughter,  named 
Mary,  bom  in  1840,  and  the  second  was,  of 
course,  Charles  W.  Hemenway.  The  daughter 
died  in  1866,  when  the  son  was  but  six  years  old, 
and  he  has  but  a  very  vague  recollection  of  his 
only  sister.  Some  seven  years  before  she  died 
she  was  married  to  one  Augustus  K.  Pratt,  wrho 
turned  out  to  be  a  very  indifferent  husband. 
When  she  died  she  left  three  children  —  two 
daughters  and  a  son  near  six  years  of  age.  The 
daughters  soon  died;  the  son,  Clinton  Pratt,  lived 
to  reach  manhood  when  he,  too,  died,  leaving  no 
family. 

If  the  reader  will  go  back  to  Waukon,  a  con- 
siderable village  in  northeastern  Iowa,  where  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Charles  Hemenway,  Senior,  have  spent 
most  of  their  lives,  he  will  find  that  their  reputa- 
tion for  truth,  industry,  personal  honor  and  recti- 
tude is  in  every  respect  above  reproach.  The 
senior  Hemenway's  word  is  and  always  has  been 
as  good  as  his  bond.  He  and  his  wife  have  been 
Methodists  for  many  years,  and  they  are  devout 
and  sincere  in  their  religious  belief,  too.  As 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  6 

parents  they  were  kind  and  indulgent  to  a  fault. 
Their  son  and  only  surviving  child,  Charles  W., 
was  reared  with  every  possible  tenderness.  At 
an  early  age  they  placed  him  at  school,  and 
afforded  him  every  educational  advantage  within 
their  reach.  They  even  sacrificed  their  own  com- 
fort frequently  for  his  benefit  and  advantage. 

In  politics  the  elder  Hemenway  has  long  been 
a  staunch  republican,  but  he  never  aspired  to 
office,  and  was  altogether  a  modest,  retired,  sober, 
earnest  man  who  avoided  notoriety  and  detested 
display,  and  loved  and  practised  virtue,  honesty 
and  simplicity.  Even  the  breath  of  suspicion 
never  approached  his  name.  His  wife  was  of  a 
very  similar  nature — a  true  and  devoted  wife  and 
mother,  although  for  many  years  she  was  an 
invalid.  To  these  kind  and  indulgent  irreproach- 
able parents  Charles  W.  Hemenway  owes  what- 
ever he  may  possess  of  manhood,  courage  and 
integrity.  .  To  him  those  parents  are  dearer  than 
words  can  express. 

In  early  youth  the  son  was  an  overgrown,  awk- 
ward boy.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  nearly 
six  feet  tall,  and  that  is  his  height  to-day.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  he  had  a  mustache  almost  as 
long  and  heavy  as  that  which  he  now  wears,and  his 
mind  was  quite  as  precocious  as  his  body.  At  the 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY   DAY. 

age  of  eighteen  he  had  completed  his  education  at 
school,  and  during  his  eighteenth  year  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Hon.  Willard  C.  Earle,  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  mammoth  general  merchandise  estab- 
lishment, and  in  less  than  three  months  became 
chief  book-keeper  and  cashier.  This  position  he 
held,  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  Mr.  Earle,  until 
August,  1879.  Prior  to  and  during  this  time  he 
accumulated  a  large  library  of  standard  works, 
which  he  read  with  care,  often  working  all  day  at 
the  desk  and  then  sitting  up  until  two  or  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  with  some  noted  author's 
work  before  him. 

Until  young  Hemenway  was  nineteen  years  of 
ago  he  never  once  attended  any  party  or  sociable 
to  stay  more  than  fifteen  minutes.  He  cared 
little  for  the  society  of  young  people  of  his  age 
and  up  to  that  time  he  had  never  played  a  game 
of  cards,  drank  a  drop  of  spirituous  liquor  as  a 
beverage  or  visited  the  interior  of  a  saloon.  As 
a  boy  he  was  sent  to  Sunday  School  at  the 
Methodist  church,  but  as  a  young  man  he  rarely 
attended  divine  service  at  all.  People  generally 
called  him  eccentric  and  dubbed  him  the  "old 
man"  because  he  took  but  little  stock  in  the  sports 
of  boys,  cared  nothing  for  flirtation  with  the  girls 
and  courted  the  good  opinion  and  society  of  his 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  5 

seniors  and  betters,  besides  applying  himself  to 
study  and  business  incessantly. 

Early  in  1879,  young  Hemenway,  then  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  published  a  collection  of  his 
juvenile  poems  and  lampoons,  in  book  form  under 
the  title  of  "Lourne  and  Lucadie."  This  crude 
little  volume  contained  several  severe  satires  upon 
local  preachers,  deacons  and  politicians.  It  caused 
a  wonderful  degree  of  local  excitement  and  dis- 
cussion, and  the  young  author  woke  up  one  morn- 
ing and  found  himself  not  a  little  famous. 
About  one  half  of  the  residents  of  his  native 
village  were  soon  about  ready  to  throttle  the  other 
half,  all  because  of  his  little  book.  Among  others, 
the  juvenile  satirist  had  attacked  the  follies  and 
foibles  of  Congressman  Updegraff  and  Major  D. 
W.  Reed,  both  republican  politicians  of  a  petty 
kind,  and  as  a  consequence  the  republican  paper 
of  the  village,  and  ultimately  the  republican 
press  of  the  whole  State,  made  war  upon  the 
young  author,  while  the  democratic  papers  gene- 
rally and  warmly  defended  him.  From  that  time 
Hemenway  has  been  a  democrat.  While  this  news- 
paper controversy  was  progressing,  the  little  vol- 
ume of  poems  sold  like  hot  cakes  and  to  his  great 
surprise  the  author  had  his  first  edition  speedily 
exhausted  and  his  pockets  replenished  with  cash. 


6  MEMOIRS   OF    MY   DAY. 

In  some  instances  he  was  assailed  with  the  most 
atrocious  libels  and  the  Waukon  Standard,  a  local 
republican  paper,  was  so  much  irritated  that  it 
kept  up  its  fusillade  of  abuse  for  four  weeks,  finally 
publishing  a  collection  of  its  choicest  smut-pro- 
ductions in  pamphlet  form  with  penny-a-liner 
comic  wood  cuts.  This  only  advertised  "Lourne 
and  Lucadie"  more  than  ever,  and  a  new  edition 
was  demanded.  While  the  newspapers  were 
engaged  in  this  discussion  of  the  young  man's 
book  he  was  menaced  with  all  sorts  of  threats 
from  a  horse-whipping  to  lynching,  and  his  friends 
jealously  protected  him  from  the  least  harm.  At 
the  end  of  four  or  five  weeks  when  the  excitement 
had  somewhat  subsided  he,  for  the  first  time,  came 
to  his  own  defense  and  published  an  article  some 
seven  columns  long  in  the  Waukon  Democrat 
which  won  him  a  complete  victory,  and  silenced 
his  local  enemies  so  effectively  that  they  have 
remained  silent  ever  since. 

In  those  early  years,  Hemenway  entertained  a 
fabulous  ambition.  He  cherished  an  all-absorb- 
ing desire  to  be  an  immortal  of  some  sort,  and  his 
ideas  of  greatness  were  gathered  from  the  char- 
acters and  acts  of  all  the  chief  heroes  of  history. 
Plutarch's  "Lives,"  Rollings  "Ancient  History," 
Guizot's  "Napoleon  and  his  Marshals,"  and  Gib- 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  7 

boil's  "Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire," 
were  his  especial  delight.  But  he  devoured 
everything  in  the  shape  of  literature  that  came 
in  his  way,  only  rejecting  most  works  of  fiction 
but  including  poetry,  of  course.  The  works  of 
Goethe  and  Schiller,  the  great  German  authors, 
were  also  read  with  zest ;  the  perusal  of  Carlisle's 
"French  Revolution"  marked  an  epoch  in  his 
intellectual  life;  the  Bible,  the  Koran,  Darwin's 
"Origin  of  the  Species,"  "The  Descent  of  Man," 
by  the  same  author,  and  Tom  Paine's  and  Vol- 
taire's works  were  alternately  read  and  studied. 

Sometime  in  the  year  1877,  young  Hemenway 
had  reached  the  conclusion  that  he  never  could 
attain  the  height  of  his  vaulting  and  of  course 
chimerical  ambition  unless  he  could  travel  exten- 
sively among  men  in  all  parts  of  the  world  and 
observe  for  himself  all  that  existed,  as  far  as 
might  be  expedient  or  possible.  Quietly  and 
secretly  he  formed  a  determination  to  leave  home 
and  parents,  and  start  out  on  a  pilgrimage  alone 
through  the  world,  to  fit  himself  for  the  sphere 
which  he  longed  to  occupy  in  life,  by  gathering 
the  wisdom  of  experience  and  personal  observa- 
tion. To  the  end  that  he  might  undertake  such 
a  journey  every  subsequent  act  of  his  life,  for  a 
time,  was  made  subservient.  In  order  to  raise 


8     '  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

sufficient  money  to  start  out  with,  the  publication 
of  the  book  "Lourne  and  Lucadie"  was  designed; 
and,  as  we  have  seen,  it  was  a  famous  financial 
success.  Indeed  that  little  venture  supplied  him 
with  all  the  cash  he  needed  to  launch  himself  out 
into  the  world.  And  soon  after  he  had  completed 
his  nineteenth  year  he  made  the  final  prepara- 
tions to  travel  abroad.  Yet  it  was  not  until  some 
time  in  August,  1879,  that  he  finally  resigned 
his  position  with  Hon.  W.  C.  Earle,  bid  adieu  to 
his  beloved  and  venerable  parents  and  a  host  of 
kind  friends  who  had  accorded  him  extravagant 
homage,  and  then  departed  from  the  scenes  of  his 
boyhood,  to  try  his  fortunes  among  strangers,  in 
a  world  full  of  hardships  and  pitfalls  for  the 
inexperienced  traveler. 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 


CHAPTER   II. 

Beginning  a  Pilgrimage.  -  A  Veiled  Female.— The  Story  of 
her  Kuin.— At  New  York  City.— Disregarding  Formali- 
ties of  Etiquette. — Among  Jeweled  Dames. — At  Wash- 
ington.—Congressmen  not  Demi-Gods. 

Ye  gods  who  guard  my  Star  of  Fate! 

Try  me  in  storm  and  fire; 
And  if  I  cannot  live  elate 
And  win  the  nobler  grand  estate, 

Let  me  in  youth  expire! 

runs  a  portion  of  a  poetic  prayer 
which  emanated  from  the  soul  and  was 
formulated  by  the  pen  of  young  Hemen- 
way,  long  before  he  could  have  had  any  practical 
idea  of  the  burdens,  cares  and  grievous  vicissi- 
tudes which  even  the  noblest  career  of  ambition 
must  lead  through,  ere  the  world  will  concede 
the  laurels  of  lasting  and  refulgent  glory  as  an 
individual  possession.  And  again,  upon  departing 
from  the  home  of  his  childhood,  when  beginning 
a  pilgrimage  which  was  to  consume  over  half  a 
dozen  years  and  end  none  could  say  how,  the 
same  sentiment — tinged  with  a  romantic  enthu- 
siasm, and  the  love  of  adventure — made  his 
pulse  beat  quicker  and  his  hope  soar  into  the 


10  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

realms  of  dreamland.  At  his  native  town  of 
Waukon,  he  took  the  train  alone  one  chilly  after- 
noon and  the  next  morning  he  was  in  Chicago; 
the  following  day  he  reached  Detroit  where  the 
whole  train  was  run  upon  a  ferry  boat  and  trans- 
ferred over  on  to  Canadian  soil.  While  waiting 
at  a  station  but  a  short  distance  from  Detroit,  an 
elderly  gentleman,  richly  dressed,  who  had  in  his 
custody  a  young  lady  whose  hands  were  securely 
tied,  boarded  the  train.  The  couple  took  a  seat 
directly  in  front  of  Hemenway.  The  young  lady 
was  dressed  with  great  care  and  wore  the  most 
costly  apparel.  At  first  her  face  was  closely 
veiled  and  altogether  an  air  of  mystery  seemed 
to  hover  around  her.  After  riding  some  distance 
she  begged  her  male  companion  to  remove  the 
veil  and  untie  her  hands  which  wTas  accordingly 
done.  Presently  she  turned  her  face  around. 
Never  before  or  since  have  we  seen  such  a  won- 
derful countenance.  Traces  of  great  beauty  were 
discernable  in  every  lineament;  a  ghastly  palor 
gave  the  face  an  unearthly  appearance;  her  brow 
was  high  and  broad;  her  eyebrows  dark  and 
arched;  her  eyelashes  long  and  glossy;  her  eyes 
large,  black  and  glowing  with  a  wild  and  weird 
pathos  which  told  only  too  plainly  of  a  mind 
deranged  and  a  heart  broken.  The  passengers  all 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  11 

stared  at  the  unfortunate  creature  in  blank  aston- 
ishment.    Hemenway  gazed  at  her  forlorn  face  a 
moment  and  when  he  turned  away  large  tears  were 
standing  in  his  eyes — so  easily  and  deeply  was  his 
heart  moved  to  pity  and  to  sympathize  with  the 
misery  of  even  a  stranger.  He  was  also  curious  to 
learn  the  history  of  the  ill-fated  lady.     When  the 
train  reached  Niagara  Falls  an  old  woman  boarded 
the  train,  and,  quaking  with  emotion,  came  for 
ward  and  embraced  the  unfortunate  as  her  "dear 
daughter;"   but  that  daughter  stared  in  wonder 
and  could  not  recognize  her  own  mother.     It  was 
an  affecting  scene,  and  it  made  a  deep  impression 
upon   the    heart    of    the   young   pilgrim.      We 
ascertained  from  the  gentleman  in  charge  of  the 
wrecked  young  lady  the  story  of  her  ruin.     She 
was  the  youngest  child  of  a  wealthy  retired  mer- 
chant of  Rochester,  New  York.     She  had  been 
reared  tenderly  and  educated  carefully.     Every 
care  had  been  taken  to  protect  her  from  the  rude 
blasts  incident  to  ordinary  life;  and,  like  a  tender 
plant,  she  grew  up  among  friends,  nursed  in  the 
lap  of  luxury  and  devoutly  beloved  by  all  who 
knew  her.     But  in  an  evil  hour  a  despoiler  came 
in  the  shape  of  a  young  Congregational  minister, 
who  represented  himself    as  the  heir  of  a  vast 
fortune.      He   wore   a   fair  exterior;  his  tongue 


12  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 

was  apt  in  prayer  and  sermonizing,  and  his 
appearance  was  pleasing  and  prepossessing.  In 
due  time  he  won  the  merchant's  daughter  and 
got  into  his  hands  her  goodly  dowry.  Then  he 
took  her  to  Canada  and  after  a  few  months'  suc- 
ceeded in  breaking  her  heart  by  cruel  treatment 
and  debauchery,  and  eventually,  to  cap  the  climax 
of  his  villainy,  after  her  fortune  was  trifled  away, 
he  deserted  her  in  want  and  wretchedness  and 
left  for  parts  unknown.  This  was  more  than  the 
young  wife's  mind  could  bear  and  her  reason  was 
hopelessly  dethroned  in  an  hour.  Oh,  God! 
how  many  thousands  of  such  or  similar  cases  are 
recorded  throughout  the  Christian  world  each 
year?  Why,oh  why!  are  men  so  base  and  depraved 
permitted  to  live  after  they  have  worse  than  mur- 
dered those  who  loved  them  best  and  trusted 
them  most? 

Eventually  Hemenway  reached  the  great  city 
of  New  York  and  he  immediately  became 
engaged  in  observing  the  sights,  which  all  had 
the  freshness  of  novelty  to  his  eyes.  To  him  the 
great  metropolis  was  only  a  gigantic  stage  upon 
which  the  extended  drama  of  life  was  being 
enacted  perpetually.  He  visited  some  points  of 
historical  interest,  such  as  the  Battery  and 
Trinity  church,  and  also  Central  Park  and  Wall 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  13 

Street.  His  chief  attention  was  given  to  human- 
ity. "The  proper  study  of  mankind  is  man/' 
some  one  has  said,  and  so  thought  he.  Some 
letters  of  introduction  and  the  good  offices  of  a 
friend  secured  him  admittance  into  several  well- 
known  circles  of  parvenu  society.  At  a  reception 
given  by  a  princely  Cuban  gentleman  at  his 
residence  on  Fifth  Avenue,  the  young  rustic 
traveler  created  something  of  a  sensation  by 
expressions  of  his  frank  curiosity  and  by  his 
awkward  but  sometimes  laughable  disregard  for 
the  mere  formalities  of  etiquette.  When  the  first 
of  these  conventional  errors  was  committed  the 
young  ladies  of  the  company  had  evidently  much 
difficulty  in  repressing  their  risibilities  and  the 
dude  young  gentlemen  looked  contemptuous. 
Before  the  entertainment  ended  the  situation 
changed  somewhat.  The  company  discovered 
that  the  bashful  stranger  was  easily  exasperated 
into  a,  to  them,  novel  creature,  and  before  a  week 
had  passed  after  that  initiation  into  the  social 
mysteries  of  the  rich,  he  had  plenty  of  invita- 
tions to  all  sorts  of  private  parties  from  well- 
known  society  people  who  seemed  to  regard  him 
as  a  sort  of  mm  avis  and  who  were  outwardly 
and  reputedly  highly  respectable,  and  commonly 
styled  "big  bugs"  by  more  ordinary  and  poorer 


14  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

people.  Daring  his  association  among  this  class 
of  people  for  a  few  weeks  he  was  partially  dazzled 
by  outward  splendor  and  magnificence.  It  was  a 
grand  sight  to  his  eyes  to  behold,  for  the  first 
time,  ladies  decorated  in  the  most  gorgeous  style, 
assembled  in  elegant  drawing  rooms  or  moving 
through  the  stately  measures  of  the  dance  with 
gentlemen  of  the  most  polished  manners  and 
courtly  bearing,  clad  scrupulously  in  full  dress 
suits  and  overflowing  with  honey-words.  But, 
alas,  how  sadly  those  grand  scenes  of  beauty  and 
grandeur  were  sometimes  marred,  when  the  real 
nature  of  many  of  those  jeweled  dames,  sparkling 
young  ladies  and  courtly  gentlemen  was  more 
intimately  known ! 

During  young  Hemenway's  sojourn  in  New 
York  City,  he  joined  excursions  to  Albany,  Boston 
and  Washington,  D.  C.  The  national  capital  was 
peculiarly  interesting  to  him  because  of  its 
importance  as  the  seat  of  the  greatest  govern- 
ment on  earth,  with  its  public  buildings,  notable 
men,  foreign  embassies  and  other  great  public 
officers.  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  was  then  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  When  Mr.  Hemenway 
was  introduced  to  him  at  the  White  House  he 
looked  pale,  careworn  and  fagged  out.  Never- 
theless he  was  very  courteous  and  affable  to  every 


MEMOIRS    OP    MY    DAY.  15 

one7  and  his  wife  seemed  especially  amiable  and 
desirous  to  please.  The  White  House  was  some- 
thing of  a  marvel  to  our  young  pilgrim,  not  so 
much  because  of  its  architectural  impressiveness 
as  by  reason  of  its  associations.  It  had  been  the 
home  of  the  martyred  Lincoln  and  the  scenes 
which  had  once  been  consecrated  by  his  presence 
seemed  almost  holy  ground.  Then  the  Capitol 
building  with  its  marble  statues  of  the  great 
statesmen  and  philosophers  who  in  former  days 
had  given  shape  to  the  genius  of  the  American 
nation;  with  its  halls  where  Congress  formulates 
the  laws  of  the  land ;  with  its  magnificient  pro- 
portions and  solemn  grandeur,  was  an  object  for 
much  patriotic  contemplation  and  curions  obser- 
vation. Then  there  were  the  Patent  Office  with 
its  appended  marvelous  collection  of  models, 
the  War  Department  and  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment all  redundant  with  items  of  interest.  There 
were  some  relics  of  George  Washington  and 
General  Jackson  and  old  battle  flags  and  innu- 
merable articles,  valuable  chiefly  because  of  their 
historic  associations.  But  more  wonderful  than 
all  to  the  eyes  and  mind  of  our  traveler  were  such 
men  as  Roscoe  Conkling,  James  G.  Elaine,  Alex- 
ander H.  Stephens,  who  was  then  alive,  and 
many  other  famous  men  whose  lives  have  been 


16  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

largely  spent  in  the  public  service.  From  only  a 
casual  introduction  to  these  men  he  learned  some- 
thing of  the  traits  which  make  men  the  favorites 
of  the  people  in  this  Republic.  Their  suave 
address;  their  keen  intellects;  their  ability  to 
conceal  their  real  thoughts  and  evade  dangerous 
questions;  their  uniform  will  power;  their  pro- 
found feelings  and  usually  lofty  spirit  were  all 
apparent  in  their  eyes,  language  and  manner  on 
the  slightest  occasion.  It  has  been  said  that 
Conkling  is  overbearing  and  haughty,  but  we  did 
not  find  him  so.  To  us  Blaine  was  more  harsh 
and  repulsive,  but  Alexander  H.  Stephens  though 
a  cripple  and  physically  incapable  of  much  exer- 
tion, struck  us  as  an  even  higher  style"  of  erudite 
and  honest  manly  intelligence.  He  was  not  so 
dexterous  and  dashing  as  either  Conkling  or  the 
Plumed  Knight,  but  to  us  he  appeared  not  the 
less  truly  great.  Our  rustic  imagination  had  led 
us  to  picture  the  officers  of  the  nation's  govern- 
ment, such  as  Senators  and  Representatives,  in  a 
very  false  light.  We  had  thought  that  a  Con- 
gressman was  something  more  than  a  man,  and 
so  they  sometimes  are,  perhaps ;  but  a  brief  stay 
in  Washington  satisfied  us  that  they  were  not 
demi-gods  as  we  had  supposed.  Indeed  many  of 
them  were  very  ordinary  mortals,  evidently  fond 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  17 

of  the  good  things  of  life  and  always  keeping  a 
sharp  weather  eye  upon  the  main  chance  of 
winning  something  more  than  a  vegetable  living. 
In  the  course  of  our  stay  in  the  national  capi- 
tal, we  met  several  notorious  lobbyists ;  a  few  of 
them  were  ex-Congressmen ;  others  were  attorneys 
of  doubtful  character,  and  one  or  two  were  viva- 
cious, cunning  women.  They  all  pretended  to  be 
the  bosom  friends  of  particular  Congressmen  and 
were  ready  to  undertake  any  task  from  that  of 
securing  you  an  introduction  to  the  British  Minis- 
ter or  a  clerkship  in  the  Treasury  Department,  to 
procuring  an  immense  subsidy  for  any  sort  of 
railway,  canal  or  steamboat  enterprise  or  any 
other  job.  Most  of  this  class  of  creatures  could 
lie  with  all  the  earnestness  and  unction  of  a 
superannuated,  fashionable  deacon  that  can  never 
prevaricate  by  virtue  of  his  ecclesiastical  office. 


18  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Short  of  Funds. — A  Voyage  to  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil. — 
Homesickness. — A  Hasty  Return. — Changed  by  Experi- 
ence,— Penniless  and  Friendless  in  the  Streets  of  New 
Orleans. 

FEW  months  of  travel  and  residence  in 
the  chief  great  cities  of  the  east  made 
sweeping  inroads  upon  Hemen way's  purse, 
and  early  in  1880  he  began  to  consider  how  to 
replenish  his  depleted  exchequer.  He  returned 
to  New  York  City  early  in  February  and  for 
several  days  answered  the  newspaper  advertise- 
ments of  parties  desiring  clerks,  book-keepers, 
salesmen  and  the  like.  Aftef  having  made  a 
multitude  of  applications  for  various  positions 
without  success,  the  agent  of  a  Brazilian  coffee 
plantation  offered  to  send  him  to  Para  or  Rio 
Janeiro  to  serve  as  a  book-keeper  on  a  plantation  in 
the  interior.  The  offer  was  greedily  accepted.  It 
afforded  the  young  adventurer  exactly  the  oppor- 
tunity he  desired— the  opportunity  to  earn  some- 
thing and  to  visit  a  foreign  land  at  the  same  time. 
Before  the  first  of  March  he  had  reached  Havana, 
Cuba;  whence  he  elected  to  go  directly  to  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  the  famous  capital  of  the  Brizilian 


MEMOIRS    OF   MY   DAY.  19 

empire.  The  sea  voyage  was  all  accomplished 
on  board  steamers,  and  was  not  remarkable  in  any 
particular.  Of  course  the  change  of  climate,  the 
novelty  of  the  southern  skies  with  their  particu- 
lar constellations,  and  a  thousand  other  things 
were  new  and  interesting  to  the  young  voyager, 
but  they  are  common  to  the  sight  and  experience 
of  all  who  travel  from  New  York  to  Rio  Janeiro 
and  we  will  not  dwell  upon  them  here  because 
they  have  been  described  so  often  by  previous 
travelers.  Finally,  the  harbor  of  Rio  Janeiro  was 
reached  one  lovely  evening,  just  as  the  sun  was 
going  down,  amid  a  sea  of  glory,  in  the  west. 
The  custom  house  officers  and  a  medical  examiner 
came  aboard.  There  was  no  sickness  among 
either  passengers  or  crew  and  before  morning  the 
good  ship  was  safely  anchored  near  the  wharves. 
It  is  a  picturesque  city  —this  Rio  Janeiro  is — but 
young  Hemeuway  had  not  yet  learned  how  to 
make  his  travels  most  profitable.  He  landed  and 
roamed  about  the  city,  gazing  at  everything  very 
much  as  if  it  was  all  a  menagerie.  He  gazed  at 
the  various  notable  buildings  but  without  enquir- 
ing who  occupied  them  or  for  what  purpose  they 
had  been  built;  he  was  fascinated  by  trees  with 
strange  foliage  and  flowers  of  new  kinds  but  took 
no  trouble  to  ask  their  names;  yet  most  of  all  he 


20  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

gazed  in  astonishment  at  the  people  who  were 
so  strange  in  appearance  and  spoke  such  a  strange 
tongue!  He  had  learned  something  of  the 
Spanish  and  Portuguese  languages  from  school 
books,  but,  alas,  he  could  scarcely  understand  a 
word  of  the  ordinary  Brizilian  colloquial — brogue. 
That  is  a  wonderful  impression  which  is  made  upon 
a  young  individual  when  he  finds  himself  for  the 
first  time  in  a  foreign  land  where  a  totally  strange 
language  is  spoken  by  a  kind  of  people  never 
seen  before;  where  the  very  architecture  seems  to 
belong  to  another  world  and  where  the  atmos- 
phere, the  sun,  the  stars  and  the  face  of  nature 
and  humanity  all  have  an  unusual,  alien  aspect. 

Eventually  young  Hemenway  found  his  way 
to  the  American  minister's  residence,  and  it  was 
a  real  pleasure  to  chat  with  a  fellow  countryman 
after  having  spent  a  day  or  so  among  foreigners.  Of 
the  American  minister  he  secured  directions  how 
to  reach  the  plantation  where  he  was  to  work  as 
a  book  keeper.  The  third  day  after  his  arrival  in 
the  city  he  set  out  by  rail — and  a  rough,  primi- 
tive railroad  it  was,  too — and  after  many  cause- 
less delays,  arrived,  some  days  later,  at  Tampaco, 
a  small,  dirty,  inland  town,  near  which  the  plan- 
tation where  he  thought  to  pass  the  next  few 
months  of  his  life  was  located.  Here  he  met 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  21 

the  manager  of  the  plantation,  a  big  black 
Portuguese  gentleman  who  spoke  some  English. 
He  had  already  secured  a  book-keeper,  and  main- 
tained that  his  agent — and  partner,  as  he  proved 
to  be,  visiting  New  York — had  no  business  to 
send  down  a  book-keeper.  When  he  found  that 
nearly  a  month's  salary  and  fare  for  passage  had 
been  advanced  to  Hemenway,  as  a  guarantee  of 
good  faith,  he  determined  that  the  young  Ameri- 
can should  act  as  a  sort  of  timekeeper  or  overseer 
of  laborers  or  slaves  at  low  wages  until  the 
advanced  money  was  paid  back.  This  Hemen- 
way refused  to  do;  he  would  be  book-keeper  or  at 
any  rate  have  the  sum  agreed  upon  per  month, 
or  he  would  not  work.  A  quarrel  seemed  likely 
to  ensue  but  somebody  called  the  worthy  mana- 
ger aside  and  the  wrangle  was  postponed  to  be 
settled  on  the  morrow.  But  before  the  next  day 
dawned  Hemenway  was  well  on  his  way  back  to 
Rio  Janeiro  where  he  arrived  in  due  time.  A 
day  or  two  later  he  applied  to  the  American  con- 
sul for  employment  or  assistance  to  return  to  the 
United  States.  That  functionary  would  not  lend 
a  helping  hand  in  any  way,  and  Hemenway  then 
applied  to  the  British  consul,  who  promptly  gave 
him  temporary  employment  and  two  weeks  later 
secured  him  passage  in  the  capacity  of  super- 


22  MEMOIKS    OF    MY    DAY. 

cargo  on  an  English  vessel  bound  for  Jamaica. 
After  a  long  and  tedious  voyage  the  ship  reached 
Kingston,  and  thence  Hemenway  fortunately 
secured  an  immediate  passage  to  Havana.  And 
a  few  days  later  he  sailed  for  New  Orleans. 

Before  leaving  Rio  Janeiro  a  kind  of  home- 
sickness seized  him;  he  felt  a  curious  impulse  to 
hurry  back  to  his  native  land,  which  entirely 
eclipsed  all  desire  for  adventurous  travel;  foreign 
countries  were  not  what  they  were  cracked  up  to 
be  in  histories  and  narratives  of  travel,  and  until 
he  landed  in  New  Orleans  he  was  impatient  to 
hasten  back  to  "the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home 
of  the  brave."  One  morning  in  September,  1880, 
he  shouldered  a  small  valise  full  of  clothes  and 
stepped  upon  the  wharf  in  New  Orleans,  with 
only  a  dollar  and  thirty  cents  in  his  pocket,  after 
a  very  brief  and  barren  sojourn  in  distant  Rio. 
He  left  New  York  some  seven  months  before,  a 
callow^,  inexperienced  visionary,  overflowing  with 
the  most  absurd  ideas  of  every  description,  cherish- 
ing an  impracticable  and  Quixotic  ambition, 
with  the  restlessness,  impatience  and  sentimental 
enthusiasm  of  a  school-boy.  He  returned  to  New 
Orleans  after  the  lapse  of  a  little  less  than  two- 
thirds  of  a  year  so  entirely  changed  in  mind, 
ambition  and  personal  appearance  that  his  own 


MEMOIRS    OF   MY    DAY.  23 

mother  would  not  have  recognized  him.  He 
left  New  York  with  soft  white  hands  and  a  slender 
body  clad  in  the  most  gentlemanly  attire;  he 
returned  to  New  Orleans  with  sunburned  brow, 
enlarged,  thick  hands,  roughened  and  calloused 
by  reefing  sail  in  tropical  seas,  and  he  was 
clothed  also  in  the  patched  and  swaggering  garb 
of  a  dilapidated  sailor. 

After  disembarking  once  more  on  the  soil  of 
his  native  land,  he  wandered  about  in  a  brown 
study,  for  some  time,  with  all  his  earthly  posses- 
sions in  a  small  grip  sack  in  his  hand.  Finally 
he  reached  Canal  Street,  one  of  the  chief  thorough- 
fares of  New  Orleans,  and  being  a  little  tired  he 
seated  himself  at  the  base  of  a  pedestal  upon 
which  stood  the  heroic  statue  of  a  dead  statesman. 
People  passed  by  him  on  every  side  but  he 
observed  them  not.  The  great  problem  of  life  to 
the  masses  confronted  him;  want  stared  him  in 
the  face;  amid  wealth  and  crowds  of  people  he 
was  destitute  and  alone.  What  should  he  do? 
Where  should  he  go?  He  had  learned  something 
of  the  practical  hardships  of  life;  he  had  passed 
through  a  few  of  the  storms  that  either  break  or 
make  a  sturdy  individuality;  he  had  been  under 
the  fire  of  a  tropical  sun,  under  a  brutal  captain, 
among  brutal  men,  on  the  high  seas  without  a 


24  MEMOIRS    OF   MY    DAY. 

sign  of  land  in  sight  for  days  and  weeks  together. 
He  had  thrice  weathered  storms  before  the  mast 
on  shipboard  when  the  angry  waves  tossed  the 
vessel  like  a  feather  in  the  wind,  and  the  gale 
screamed  through  her  shrouds,  increasing  to  a 
dismal  hurricane,  carrying  away  everything  that 
wras  not  lashed  fast  and  every  moment  seeming  to 
threaten  her  annihilation.  Grandly  terrific  scenes 
were  these!  Amid  them  in  the  hour  of  utmost  peril 
he  had  been  happiest!  What  a  peculiar  nature! 
Well,  now  he  was  confronted  with  a  new  kind  of 
danger.  What  could  he  do  without  money  or 
decent  clothes  in  a  great  city,  among  fellow  coun- 
trymen, indeed,  but  all  indifferent  strangers  to 
him?  Serious  condition! — one  that  requires,  nay, 
demands  some  thought,  and  Hemenway  did  think 
about  it  for  three  full  hours  that  afternoon,  during 
which  time,  with  his  hands  against  his  face  and 
his  elbows  on  his  knees,  he  sat  upon  the  base  of  a 
pedestal  in  the  middle  of  Canal  Street,  New 
Orleans,  September,  1880 — not  so  very  long  ago! 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  25 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Not  every  Man  that  cares  to  practice  his  own  Philosophy. — 
Adventures  in  New  Orleans. 

ALLUDING  to  the  career  of  Benjamin  Dis- 
raeli, the  Earl  of  Beaconsfield,  an  English 
Jew  who  broke  the  ban  against  his  class, 
and,  after  many  defeats  and  failures,  raised  him- 
self to  the  highest  station  of  honor  and  power 
which  any  British  subject  can  attain,  some  anony- 
mous poet  has  said : 

He  grappled  with  his  evil  star; 
He  broke  his  birth's  invidious  bar; 
Reversed  the  luckless  turns  of  chance, 
And  fought  untoward  circumstance: 
He  wrung  from  an  attainted  fate 
The  highest  rank  subjects  can  take, 
And  blazoned  on  the  scroll  of  fame 
His  hated,  foreign,  Jewish  name. 

Many  interesting  facts  have  been  adduced  from 
the  lives  of  eminent  men  to  prove  that  genuine 
worth  and  merit  are  stimulated  in  their  develop- 
ment by  hereditary  disadvantages,  by  poverty 
and  misfortune.  It  has  also  been  argued,  but 
not  so  successfully,  that  a  republican  form  of 
government,  like  that  of  the  United  States,  affords 


26  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

talent  and  genius  the  best  opportunity  for  suc- 
cessful development.  Perhaps  this  is  in  a  meas- 
ure true,  but  it  is  also  indisputably  a  fact  that 
where  the  will,  determination  and  innate  ability 
of  the  individual  are  not  wanting,  disadvantage  of 
birth,  the  interdictions  of  discriminating  laws 
and  conventional  systems,  poverty  and  obscurity 
and  adversity  are  only  the  spurs  which  excite 
the  ardor  of  ambition  into  irresistible  momen- 
tum, even  as  the  coquettish,  and  sometimes  cruel 
repulses  of  a  modest  maiden  only  intensify  the 
affection  and  zeal  of  her  favored  lover,  until  his 
devotion  breaks  over  every  barrier  and  wins  the 
prize.  It  is  true  that  dire  misfortunes  and  disad- 
vantages do  not  stimulate  inferior  people,  but  if 
such  things  fail  to  arouse  a  man,  albeit  to  appar- 
ently superhuman  exertion,  nothing  can  make 
him  either  successful  or  great.  On  the  other 
hand  inherited  wealth  and  hereditary  power 
would  tempt  the  majority  of  men  to  indulge 
idleness,  despotism  or  dissipation.  The  prize 
looses  half  its  charm  when  it  is  won  without  a 
struggle.  In  a  manner  very  similar  to  this  would 
juvenile  Charles  W.  Hemenway  have  theorized 
prior  to  the  day  when  he  left  home  where  he  had 
always  enjoyed  every  comfort  whether  he  had 
earned  it  or  not.  A  little  later,  after  he  had 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  27 

begun  his  career  as  a  traveler,  we  have  seen  how 
disappointment  in  Brazil  was  followed  by  an  ab- 
normal sentimental  desire  to  return  to  his  native 
land.  Although  he  had  not  sufficient  means  to 
pay  all  of  the  passage  fare,  his  return  was  facili- 
tated by  a  favorable  although  a  rough  fortune,and 
then  he  was  left  virtually  penniless  and  almost 
in  Tags  to  reap  the  benefits  of  poverty  according 
to  his  vaunted  theory  that  want  and  distress 
ought  to  stimulate  the  growth  and  development 
of  strength  and  wisdom  in  character.  Well,  it  is 
not  every  man  that  cares  to  practice  his  favorite 
philosophy.  Young  Hemenway  had  done  so;  he 
had  deliberately  cut  himself  loose  from  the  shel- 
ter of  a  father's  roof,  from  the  protection  of 
true  and  tried  friends  and  pushed  the  yet  fragile 
bark  of  his  destiny  out  into  mid  ocean;  he  had 
basked  in  sunshine  awhile,  and  then  weathered 
hard  gales  and  then  he  found  himself  in  Ntw 
Orleans  in  a  condition  very  much  the  same  as  if 
he  had  been  shipwrecked  upon  a  rock.  We  left 
him  in  the  last  chapter  brooding  over  his  situa- 
tion silently  in  the  streets.  There  he  sat  absorbed 
in  meditation  until  the  declining  sun  began  to 
herald  the  approach  of  night.  Then  suddenly 
he  started  up  as  if  he  had  all  at  once  remembered 
something  that  he  must  attend  to  forthwith.  He 


28  MEMOIKS    OF    MY    DAY. 

had  gone  but  a  few  paces  when  he  met  a  well- 
dressed  gentleman  of  whom  he  politely  enquired 
the  name  and  location  of  the  best  hotel  in  the 
city. 

"Well,  Jack,"  answered  the  stranger,  "what  in 
h — 1  do  you  want  of  a  hotel ;  go  back  to  your 
hammock  in  the  fo'castle;  you  must  be  drunk." 

"Sir,"  rejoined  Hemenway,  "I  have  no  ham- 
mock to  go  to  and  I  am  not  drunk;  I  asked  you 
a  decent  question  civilly  and  if  you  were  a 
gentleman  you  would  frankly  and  courteously 
reply." 

"Who  are  you?"  demanded  the  stranger,  with 
an  awkward  stare. 

"I  am  a  man  just  arrived  from  Brazil,  and  only 
enquiring  of  you  the  name  and  location  of  the 
best  hotel  in  the  city,"  was  the  reply. 

The  stranger  suddenly  changed  his  tone  and 
blandly  designated  the  St.  Charles  Hotel,  on  a 
street  by  the  same  name,  near  by,  in  response  to 
Hemenway's  enquiries.  The  latter  thanked  his 
informant  and  proceeded  forthwith  to  the  St. 
Charles  Hotel,  which  was  a  rather  stately  and 
massive  large,  stone  structure  and  undoubtedly 
the  best  public  house  in  New  Orleans.  The 
advent  of  a  dilapidated  sailor,  with  an  old  grip 
sack  under  his  arm,  created  not  a  little  surprise 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  29 

in  the  hotel  office,  but  when  Hemenway  applied 
to  the  clerk  for  a  room  in  a  sober  voice,  astonish- 
ment took  the  place  of  surprise.  After  the  clerk 
recovered  himself  he  rather  politely  stated  that 
strangers  without  baggage  must  pay  in  advance. 
Hemenway  demanded  the  price  for  one  night's 
lodging,  and  the  clerk  demanded  two  dollars. 
This  was  more  money  than  the  would-be  guest 
could  muster,  and  he  didn't  believe  that  was  the 
regular  rate.  Just  then  he  noticed  a  card  in  a 
daily  paper  on  the  counter  advertising  elegant 
rooms  with  board  for  $7.00  per  week.  It  flashed 
across  his  mind  that  the  hotel  clerk  was  trying  to 
tax  him  double  price,  and  that  functionary  mani- 
fested a  desire  to  have  him  march  on. 

"See  here,"  said  Hemenway,  at  a  venture,  "I 
will  pay  you  no  more  than  regular. rates;  give 
me  a  room,"  and  he  planked  down  a  dollar. 

The  clerk  paused  a  moment;  said  not  a  word 
except  to  whisper  to  a  porter  who  presently  beck- 
oned Hemenway  to  follow  him.  To  a  small 
apartment  near  the  servants'  quarters  the  guest 
was  conducted,  where  he  arranged  his  toilet  some- 
what, exchanged  his  coarse  sailor's  trousers  for  a 
very  good  pair  of  black  pantaloons  from  his  bag, 
a  vest  from  the  same  source  was  also  put  on,  and 
then  he  went  out  and  got  shaved.  After  that  he 


30  MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY. 

went  into  the  first  hat  store  that  he  came  to  and 
asked  credit  for  a  hat.  The  proprietor  did  a 
strictly  cash  business,  of  course  the  salesman  said. 
Hemenway  enquired  for  the  proprietor.  That 
gentleman  was  in  a  neat  little  private  office;  he 
was  just  preparing  to  go  home.  Hemenway 
asked  for  credit  for  not  only  a  hat  but  a  coat  also, 
with  the  air  of  a  man  who  expected  to  have  his 
request  granted,  and  before  the  good-natured 
merchant  replied,  Hemenway  began  a  small 
oration  which  the  merchant  frequently  inter- 
rupted with  curious  queries.  In  the  end  Hemen- 
way got  the  goods  and  put  them  on.  The  coat 
and  hat  selected  were  of  fine  quality  and  were 
priced  at  $16.00.  Hemenway  offered  to  give  his 
note  for  that  amount  payable  in  thirty  days, 
although  he  had  not  the  slightest  idea  where  the 
money  would  come  from,  and  only  felt  such 
reliance  upon  his  own  ability  that  he  was  con- 
fident he  could  meet  the  obligation.  However, 
the  merchant  evidently  thought  that  a  note  would 
be  no  good  if  he  was  dealing  with  a  rogue,  and 
that  if  his  creditor  was  honest  he  would  get  his 
pay  anyway,  and  declined  to  be  troubled  with  a 
note.  Indeed,  he  said,  he  would  not  even  charge 
up  the  bill,  but  trust  entirely  to  his  strange  cus- 
tomer's honor  for  payment. 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  31 

Young  Hemenway  tried  to  make  a  similar 
arrangement  with  another  dealer  for  a  pair  of 
fine  shoes  and  some  white  underclothes.  At  first, 
and  even  at  three  different  establishments,  he 
failed  in  this  undertaking,  but  at  a  fourth  store 
he  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  pair  of  shoes  and 
three  white  shirts,  some  collars,  a  necktie  and  a 
pair  of  socks  on  credit. 

Anyone  who  knows  how  next  to  impossible  it 
is  for  an  unaccredited  stranger,  in  shabby  gar- 
ments, especially,  and  with  no  reference  as  to 
character  and  the  like,  to  obtain  the  least  thing 
on  credit  of  merchants  in  large  cities,  will  appre- 
ciate how  great  a  difficulty  Hemenway  had  sur- 
mounted when  he  obtained  his  new  clothes  in 
this  case.  He  was  not  a  member  of  any  secret 
society,  had  not  a  friend  or  acquaintance  in  all 
New  Orleans,  and  his  only  capital  was  a  fluent 
tongue  which  told  briefly  and  frankly  all  about 
himself,  his  condition  and  his  aspirations. 

Equipped  with  neat  apparel,  Hemenway  re- 
turned to  the  hotel  and  dressed  up.  It  was  after 
ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  when  he  got  on  his 
new  toggery  and  he  had  not  tasted  food  since 
morning.  With  twenty  cents  in  his  pocket  and 
a  feeling  of  the  utmost  peace  and  confidence,  he 
sought  out  a  restaurant  and  paid  fifteen  cents  for 


32  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

a  cup  of  coffee  and  some  bread.  A  little  later, 
with  only  five  cents  to  his  name,  he  went  to  bed 
and  was  soon  sound  asleep. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Struggling  with  Fortune. — A  lucky  Sale  of  Manuscript. — 
Trusting  to  the  Promptings  of  an  inner  Monitor. 

JN  the  eyes  of  most  people,  good  clothes  and  a 
dignified  deportment  are  the  essential  items 
in  the  composition  of  a  lady  or  a  gentleman 
the  world  over.  Thoughtful  minds  which  rise 
above  the  common-place  level  of  the  masses  may 
differ  with  this  view  and  be  correct,  but  neverthe- 
less we  must  pay  due  defference  to  the  opinions 
and  prejudices  of  the  majority  be  they  right  or 
wrong.  If  a  man  would  associate  with  people  of 
wealth,  influence,  social  standing  and  ability,  he 
must  at  least  be  externally  fit  to  be  seen  in  their 
company. 

When  Hemenway  made  his  appearance  before 
the  office  desk  of  the  St.  Charles  Hotel  the  morn- 
ing after  his  arrival,  clothed  in  very  presentable 
style,  there  was  a  very  perceptible  change  in  the 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  33 

manner  of  the  clerk,  who,  without  asking  pay 
in  advance,  politely  suggested  that  breakfast  was 
waiting — and  this  serves  to  illustrate  the  popular 
effect  of  clothes. 

Half  an  hour  later  Hemenway  might  have 
been  seen  leaving  the  St.  Charles  Hotel  with  a 
small  parcel  under  his  arm.  It  contained  a  large 
variety  of  original  manuscript  compositions  and 
a  diary  written  by  the  young  traveler  during  his 
long  passage  from  Rio  Janeiro  to  New  Orleans. 
In  all  there  were  some  two  or  three  hundred 
pages  of  this  manuscript,  which  was  very  legible 
but  in  no  shape  for  publication  except  in  small 
detached  portions  which  might  have  been  suit- 
able for  newspaper  articles.  The  young  man  was 
in  hopes  that  he  might  be  able  to  dispose  of  this 
manuscript  for  a  few  dollars,  and  with  the  pur- 
pose of  negotiating  its  sale  he  visited  several 
newspaper  offices  in  vain.  Editors  generally  had 
no  time  to  struggle  through  over  two  hundred 
closely  written  pages  of  composition  upon  a  mul- 
titude of  subjects,  but  finally  the  writer  became 
so  persistent,  that  a  reporter  of  the  Picayune  was 
detailed  to  "look  the  stuff  over."  The  reporter 
evidently  did  not  relish  the  job,  and  he  recom- 
mended the  author  to  offer  the  manuscript  to  a 
literary  gentleman  who  lived  in  Camp  Street. 


34  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 

Hemenway  in  despair  followed  the  reporter's 
advice.  The  gentleman  referred  to  was  a  middle- 
aged,  high-toned  person.  He  was  not  a  permanent 
resident  of  New  Orleans.  His  name  was  Henry 
A.  Jarvis.  In  conversation  he  was  artificial  and 
high-strung.  The  scribe  informed  him  at  great 
length  about  the  circumstances  under  which  the 
manuscript  was  written ;  about  the  contents  and 
about  the  writer's  pressing  necessities  for  a  little 
cash.  Mr.  Jarvis  was  visibly  affected;  he  would 
do  anything  to  aid  a  struggling  young  "  man  of 
letters;"  he  would  look  the  manuscript  over  and 
pay  all  it  was  worth.  In  the  meantime  he  would 
see  that  the  writer  got  a  living,  and,  acting  upon 
this  word  of  promise,  he  advanced  ten  dollars. 
Hemenway  put  the  money  in  his  pocket  with  a 
feeling  of  relief  and  joy  that  cannot  be  described. 
It  was  nearly  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  He 
almost  ran  back  to  the  hotel  and  paid  his  bill. 
Then  h^  gathered  up  his  effects  and  started  off 
to  find  a  private  residence  where  boarders  were 
taken.  He  soon  secured  a  furnished  apartment 
on  St.  Charles  Street.  The  rent  paid  in  advance 
was  only  three  dollars  per  week.  Meals  were 
secured  at  a  restaurant. 

The  next  day  Hemenway  started  out  in  search 
of  employment.      He  hardly  thought   that   Mr. 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  35 

Jarvis  would  be  likely  to  pay  any  more  for  the 
manuscript.  He  visited  any  number  of  stores  of 
all  sorts,  and  everywhere  expressed  himself  as 
ready  to  do  anything  that  was  honorable  and 
legitimate  to  make  a  living.  He  also  stopped  a 
large  number  of  men  as  he  met  them  on  the 
street  arid  urged  his  claims  for  employment.  One 
of  the  men,  thus  incidentally  applied  to,  was  a 
brewer,  and  he  offered  the  writer  a  place  in  a 
grog  shop,  but  the  offer  was  declined  with  thanks. 
Finally  a  drayman  was  found  who  wanted  a  man 
to  drive  a  team;  wages  $35.00  per  month  and 
board.  That  was  honest  business,  and  it  was 
accepted.  He  began  .the  dray  business  at  once, 
and  followed  the  calling  of  a  driver  for  at  least 
three  days,  and  he  still  retains  a  certificate  of 
his  employer  stating  that  he  awas  the  best  hand" 
the  said  employer  ever  had.  On  the  evening  of 
the  third  day  after  beginning  the  new  business 
of  driving  a  dray,  he  chanced  to  pass  near  the 
post  office  and  stopped  to  enquire  at  the  general 
delivery  for  mail:  There  was  a  letter  for  him  from 
Henry  A.  Jarvis,  requesting  him  to  call  at  once  at 
that  gentleman's  abode.  In  compliance  with  this 
request,  later  in  the  evening,  he  visited  that 
gentleman,  who  received  him  very  kindly  and 
at  once  began  to  talk  business.  He  would  pay 


36  MEMOIRS   OF    MY   DAY. 

liberally  for  the  manuscript  providing  Hemen- 
way  would  in  writing  relinquish  all  right  and 
title  to  the  same.  "All  right,"  said  Hemenway. 
"I  will  give  you  $260.00  if  you  will  sign  this 
bill  of  sale/'  put  in  Jarvis.  "All  right/'  was  the 
reply  again;  and  forthwith  the  author  put  his 
signature  to  the  paper  without  reading  it.  Jarvis 
noticed  this  and  took  the  trouble  to  read  the 
document  aloud.  It  was  merely  an  agreement 
by  which  all  right  and  title  to  said  manuscript 
was  transferred  by  the  author  to  Mr.  Jarvis,  "  to 
use  and  dispose  of  as  he  chose." 

Mr.  Jarvis  paid  cash  down ;  he  even  refused  to 
deduct  the  $10.00  which  he  had  advanced  from 
the  total  amount  that  he  agreed  to  pay,  and  the 
young  man  took  his  departure  from  the  presence 
of  his  customer  without  more  ado.  When  he 
got  out  into  the  street  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
he  kept  from  pulling  off  his  hat  and  yelling  at 
the  top  of  his  voice  for  joy;  he  danced  down  the 
sidewalk  in  such  an  unceremonious  fashion  that 
a  police  officer  and  a  number  of  ladies  began  to 
stare  in  a  way  that  made  him  a  little  less  demon- 
strative. Two  hundred  and  sixty  dollars!  Good 
gracious!  He  had  often  been  in  possession  of 
several  times  that  amount,  but  this  two  hundred 
and  sixty  dollars  just  then  seemed  to  be  the 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  37 

biggest  sum  he  ever  heard  of.  If  he  had  sud- 
denly discovered  a  gold  mine  or  struck  a  flowing 
oil  well,  he  could  not  have  felt  more  entirely 
surprised  or  elated.  He  could  not  be  certain 
whether  Mr.  Jarvis  had  really  considered  the 
manuscript  worth  what  he  paid  for  it,  or  whether 
he  was  a  rich  man  who  desired  to  be  generous, 
merely.  And  so  he  did  not  know  whether  to 
consider  himself  a  good  writer  or  a  subject  of 
eleemosynary  aid;  though,  to  be  frank  about  it, 
he  was  inclined  to  think  he  had  made  a  clever 
hit  with  his  pen.  The  very  evening  that  he 
received  the  unexpected  money  for  his  manu- 
script, he  paid  his  debts  to  the  surprise  of  his 
only  creditors  who  had  trusted  him  for  clothes, 
and  to  the  infinite  satisfaction  of  himself.  When 
he  had  contracted  these  debts  he  had  no  idea 
where  the  money  to  pay  them  was  coming  from, 
but  somehow,  he  felt  they  would  be  paid.  In 
those  days  he  was  not  religious;  he  had  become 
disgusted  with  the  regulation  Christian  creeds  of 
his  acquaintance,  and  the  doings  of  Christians 
and  their  manifestly  false  doctrines  had  made 
him  almost  doubt  the  existence  of  the  God  of  the 
Bible,  but  still  he  believed  in  an  overruling 
Providence  who  would  help  those  who  helped 
themselves;  and  he  also  trusted  to  the  prompt- 


38  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 

ings  of  an  inner  monitor  which  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  speak  of  as  the  "spirit  of  his  lucky  star." 
When  he  was  in  the  extremity  of  difficulty  or 
perplexity,  and  earnestly  sought  to  know  what 
course  to  pursue,  that  "spirit"  never  failed  to  offer 
its  subtle  suggestions,  which,  in  turn,  had  proved 
always  for  the  best. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Where    General    Jackson    Whipped    the    British.— Colonel 
Varres. — Again  at  Sea. — Conjugal  Infidelity  and  Murder. 

his  debts  paid,  a  handsome  little  sum 
of  money  in  his  pocket,  and  very  good 
clothes,  Hemenway  did  not  deem  him- 
self constrained  to  work  at  the  drayage  business 
any  longer,  and  he  resigned  his  position  on  the 
truck  to  look  for  a  more  paying  occupation.  The 
last  days  of  September,  1880,  were  now  near  at 
hand.  New  Orleans  was  showing  signs  of  an 
approaching  unhealthful  season.  It  became  de- 
sirable to  leave  the  quaint  old  environs  of  the 
city.  The  young  adventurer  paid  a  visit  to  the 
scene  of  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  where  General 
Jackson  whipped  the  British  during  or  after  the 


MEMOIRS    OP    MY    DAY.  39 

close  of  the  war  of  1812.  He  also  visited  other 
scenes  made  memorable  in  history  by  General 
Benjamin  F.  Butler  during  the  Rebellion.  The 
city  of  New  Orleans  itself  is  peculiarly  interest- 
ing to  one  born  and  reared  at  the  north.  It  has 
a  mixed  population  consisting  of  negroes,  half- 
breeds,  Creoles,  descendants  of  the  French,  and 
half-breed  Americans.  To  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses it  is  also  a  seaport  city;  for  the  broad 
waters  of  the  Mississippi,  not  far  away,  flow  into 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  furnishing  a  deep  and  safe 
channel  for  the  largest  seafaring  vessels. 

While  Hemenway  was  seeking  acceptable 
employment,  he  traveled  through  every  sec- 
tion of  the  place,  and  took  especial  delight  in 
studying  human  nature  as  it  was  there  mani- 
fested. In  the  course  of  his  peregrinations  he 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Colonel  Don  Varres 
who  claimed  to  be  a  Mexican  by  birth,  and  a 
pure  blooded  Spaniard  by  descent.  The  Colonel 
soon  learned  that  Hemenway  was  in  search  of 
employment,  and  after  enquiring  something  of 
the  young  man's  history,  he  engaged  the  youth 
at  a  very  munificent  salary.  It  did  not  appear 
very  clear  as  to  the  nature  of  the  business 
in  which  Colonel  Varres  was  engaged,  but  he 
claimed  that  he  owned  a  number  of  vessels 


40  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

engaged  in  the  transportation  of  different  com- 
modities along  the  coast  of  Texas,  and  between 
the  ports  of  Texas  and  Mexico.  He  wanted  a 
trustworthy  man  to  look  after  different  cargoes; 
to  superintend  the  exchange  of  exported  articles 
with  retail  dealers  along  the  coast  of  Mexico  and 
Yucatan.  In  consideration  of  a  monthly  salary 
of  $400,  Hemenway  eagerly  accepted  the  position. 
He  at  once  entered  the  Colonel's  service  and  aided 
him  in  making  a  number  of  wholesale  purchases. 
About  the  first  of  October,  Varres  and  his  new 
employe  started  for  Galveston  where  the  Colonel's 
goods  were  transferred  to  boats  and  shipped  for 
the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande  River  or  some  inter- 
vening port.  Without  delay,  in  company  with 
several  Mexicans,  Varres  and  his  new  servant 
set  out  by  stage  over  a  circuitous  route  for  Corpus 
Christi.  The  party  at  length  reached  a  point  on 
the  coast  not  far  from  Corpus  Christi,  and  late 
one  pleasant,  peaceful  evening,  a  large  brig  ap- 
peared a  league  or  so  off  shore,  with  which  sig- 
nals were  exchanged.  A  little  later  a  boat  from 
the  brig  touched  the  shore,  and  Colonel  Varres 
and  Henlenway,  with  two  Mexicans,  were  taken 
off  to  the  vessel,  which  immediately  spread  her 
canvas  and  ran  before  a  moderate  breeze  for  the 
southeast.  Before  the  sun  arose,  land  had  dis- 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.       '  41 

appeared  from  view.  On  board  the  vessel  there 
was  nothing  very  unusual  in  appearance.  The 
brig  was  capable  of  carrying  a  vast  amount  of 
sail,  though,  and  she  was  also  of  comparatively 
light  draft,  and  evidently  built  with  a  view  to 
some  speed.  She  was  only  partly  loaded  with  a 
miscellaneous  cargo  of  calicoes,  Yankee  notions, 
and  dry  goods.  She  was  manned  by  a  Mexican 
half-breed  crew,  and  Varres  himself  acted  as  cap- 
tain. His  wife  and  two  little  daughters  occupied 
the  cabin.  There  were  no  passengers  on  board. 
Donna  Varres  was  a  young  and  singularly  tall 
Spanish  woman,  with  large,  deep  black  eyes,  and 
long,  jet  black  hair.  Her  two  daughters  were 
mere  children,  the  oldest  being  not  over  six  or 
seven  years.  When  Colonel  Varres  first  boarded 
the  vessel,  the  little  children  ran  and  kissed  him, 
but  the  mother  remained  in  the  cabin,  and  when, 
after  some  delay,  her  husband  entered,  many  loud 
and  angry  words  passed  between  them,  which 
were  readily  heard  by  the  sailors  in  their  quar- 
ters. Though  recently  accustomed  to  life  at  sea, 
Hemenway  was  quite  seasick  during  the  fore- 
noon, and  he  stretched  himself  upon  a  huge  mat 
under  an  awning  on  the  top  of  the  cabin.  It  had 
been  understood  that  Vera  Cruz  was  the  destina- 
tion of  the  vessel,  but  that  she  might  sail  from 


42  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DA.Y. 

there  further  south,  before  discharging  her  cargo. 
Anyone  who  has  been  seasick  will  understand 
with  what  apathy  Hem  en  way  passed  the  first 
few  hours  on  board  the  brig.  Although  the  sky 
was  clear,  the  Gulf  was  rough,  and  a  strong  breeze 
was  blowing.  Towards  noon  the  vessel  changed 
her  course  and  sailed  west  by  south.  At  two 
o'clock  the  wind  stiffened  into  a  light  gale  and 
sail  had  to  be  taken  in,  but  before  sundown  the 
wind  moderated  again,  and  the  sailors  spread 
every  available  yard  of  canvas.  Varres  had  spent 
most  of  the  day  on  deck.  Only  once  had  he 
gone  below.  He  kept  the  sailors  busy  mending 
old  sail  and  painting  the  vessel.  As  the  sun  was 
about  to  go  down  in  splendor  beneath  the  western 
horizon,  the  Colonel  summoned  Hemenway  to 
dinner,  and  at  the  same  time  informed  him  that 
he  would  leave  the  brig  in  Hemenway's  charge 
during  the  first  watch  of  the  night.  Then  Varres 
entered  the  cabin  and  Hemenway  was  aj)out  to 
follow,  when  the  Colonel  came  struggling  back  on 
deck,  muttering  incoherently;  from  his  back  and 
side  the  blood  was  streaming.  He  staggered  for- 
ward a  few  feet  and  then  fell  heavily.  The 
sailors  rushed  to  his  side  and  raised  hhn  to  con- 
vey him  below.  He  moved  not  a  muscle;  he 
said  not  a  word.  Upon  the  cabin  table  they  laid 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  43 

his  body.  The  first  mate  felt  of  his  pulse;  the 
medicine  chest  was  opened  and  restoratives  ad- 
ministered, and  repeated  efforts  were  made  to  stop 
the  flow  of  blood  which  was  still  oozing  in  an 
irregular  stream  from  a  large  red  gash  in  the 
back — but  all  in  vain;  Varres  was  dead.  But 
where  was  his  widow?  Where  was  she  who  in 
life  or  death  should  have  been  by  his  side?  With 
her  daughters  she  had  locked  herself  in  the 
Colonel's  room  and  firmly  refused  to  speak,  until 
a  sailor  began  to  batter  the  door  down,  when  in 
wild  accents  she  threatened  to  shoot  the  first 
individual  that  attempted  to  force  his  way  in. 
That  woman  was  a  murderess;  it  was  her  hand 
that  had  driven  the  fatal  blade  into  her  own 
husband's  side.  Why  had  she  committed  such  a 
bloody  deed?  She  said  it  was  because  she  had  dis- 
covered that  husband's  conjugal  infidelity.  Such 
a  tragedy  is  bad  enough  and  shocking  enough 
on  land,  but  it  is  a  thousand  times  more  terrible 
on  shipboard,  away  out  at  sea.  It  was  getting 
dark;  the  vessel's  lights  were  not  yet  displayed; 
the  sailors  were  grouped  around  the  stiffening 
corpse,  and  only  the  man  at  the  wheel  was  at  his 
post.  Some  one  must  take  command  or  serious 
consequences  might  ensue,  for  again  the  wind 
began  to  blow  almost  a  gale.  Hemenway  had 


44  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 

been  almost  stupefied,  but  he  was  aroused  now. 
The  sailors  were  ordered  to  reef  sail;  they  obeyed, 
and  when  the  vessel  was  stripped  of  much  of  her 
canvas,  the  sailors  were  recalled  to  prepare  for 
the  dead  captain's  burial.  In  that  climate  a 
corpse  cannot  be  kept  long.  The  mournful  task 
was  performed  carefully  and  tenderly  by  the 
rude  tars.  They  had  evidently  loved  their  dead 
master,  and  many  a  tear  welled  from  their  eyes 
and  trickled  down  their  weather-stained  cheeks 
as  they  wrapped  the  body  in  the  sails  that  were 
to  be  its  coffin.  Finally  when  this  sad  labor  had 
been  performed,  the  remains  were  deposited  in 
the  hold  of  the  vessel,  and  a  guard  placed  over 
them.  During  the  night  the  murderess  emerged 
from  her  place  of  refuge.  The  sailors  seized  and 
placed  her  in  irons.  She  shed  some  tears,  but 
was  sullenly  mute  when  questioned.  The  hours 
of  the  night  passed  on;  the  sailors  moved  about 
silently  like  black  spectres;  the  brig  flew  on 
before  a  stiff  breeze  which  later  quickened  into  a 
heavy  gale,  and  howled  a  dismal  requiem  through 
the  shrouds,  while  the  sea  lashed  herself  into  fury 
as  if  enraged  by  the  blood  that  had  been  spilled 
upon  her  bosom  but  a  few  hours  before.  That 
was  a  scene,  impressive  and  dreadful  in  the  ex- 
treme !  Not  a  soul  on  board'  slept  all  night  long. 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  45 

Hemenway  paced  the  deck  until  the  grey  dawn 
of  morning;  and  to  him  the  recollection  of  that 
night  is  like  the  horrid  remembrance  of  an  awful 
nightmare. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Forebodings.— Shipwrecked.— Coffined  among  Shells  and 
Sharks. 

DARING  and  venturesome  nature  may 
enjoy  a  storm  at  sea  as  long  as  the  vessel 
springs  no  leak  and  floats  far  from  rocks 
and  breakers.  There  is  a  kind  of  awful  sublimity 
in  the  aspect  of  the  raging  waves  torn  into 
spray  by  the  fierce  gale;  and  then  a  ship  tossed 
about  like  a  feather,  but  defying  sea  and  storm, 
affords  some  men  a  temporary  habitation  which 
is  to  them  at  once  a  peril  and  a  delight.  But 
when  the  gale  stiffens  into  a  hurricane;  when  the 
masts  snap,  and  the  hull  springs  a  leak,  and  the 
vessel  ships  water  and  ceases  to  respond  to  the 
rudder;  when  no  land  is  in  sight  and  the  raging 
sea  is  desolate  of  a  single  sail,  the  mariner  dis- 
cards all  possibly  pleasurable  interest  in  the 
contending  elements,  and  only  looks  forward  to 


46  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY 

the  approaching  horrible  certainty  of  shipwreck 
and  perhaps  a  watery  grave,  preceded,  it  may  be, 
by  untold  hardships  or  starvation. 

When  Hemenway  was  riding  through  the 
night  towards  the  Gulf  shore,  to  embark  on  board 
the  brig,  which  rejoiced  in  the  name  of  the 
Donna  Garcia,  and  which  at  this  stage  of  his 
history  was  bearing  him  with  the  corpse  of  his 
whilom  master  to  an  unknown  destiny,  he  had 
felt  a  singular  ominous  dread  come  over  the 
spirit  of  bright  anticipations,  which  the  prospect 
of  a  voyage  in  a  new  quarter  and  $400  per 
month  naturally  inspired.  But  his  old  fondness 
of  adventure  came  back  and  then  also  for  the 
first  time  he  discovered  that  he  had  acquired  a 
love  for  money.  In  his  pocket  he  carried  over 
$500  in  gold— a  month's  salary  advanced  and 
what  he  had  saved  from  the  proceeds  of  his 
manuscript.  When  the  spirit  of  foreboding 
dread  passed  over  his  soul  he  had  but  to  place 
his  hand  upon  the  coin,  and  all  doubtful  feeling 
vanished  as  by  enchantment.  A  little  later  the 
shocking  assassination  of  his  master  stunned  and 
horrified  him,  and  before  many  hours  had  passed 
he  began  to  realize  that  his  future  was  again  as 
uncertain  as  the  wind. 

It  was  hardly  six  o'clock  the  morning  after  the 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY   DAY.  47 

murder,  and  the  second  day  of  the  voyage,  when 
Hemenway,  who  had  assumed  command  of  the 
vessel,  summoned  the  mate  for  a  consultation. 
Evidently  the  mate  had  been  a  trusted  confident 
of  the  late  captain  and  proprietor,  but  could 
furnish  little  or  no  information  as  to  the  condi- 
tion of  the  dead  man's  estates,  or  as  to  the  where- 
abouts of  his  nearest  relatives.  During  the  night 
the  mate  had  kept  the  brig  upon  her  southern  course 
as  nearly  as  the  sometimes  contrary  winds  would 
permit,  and  he  suggested  that  it  would  be  well  to 
consult  the  wife-murderess  as  to  the  intentions  of 
her  late  husband.  This  suggestion  was  imme- 
diately acted  upon.  The  two  men  proceeded  to 
the  fo'castle,  where  the  murderess  was  then  con- 
fined. Her  two  little  daughters  were  with  her, 
and  she  presented  a  pitiful  picture,  indeed.  She 
had  evidently  not  slept  during  the  night,  and 
was  weeping  bitterly.  When  first  addressed  she 
refused  to  speak,  but  a  few  kind  words  induced 
her  to  unbosom  herself  freely.  She  first  enquired 
what  was  to  be  done  with  her.  When  informed 
that  nothing  had  yet  been  determined  upon,  she 
seemed  relieved.  She  said  her  late  husband  had 
no  home  except  his  ship.  Again  she  repeated  the 
story  of  his  conjugal  infidelity,  and  justified  her 
bloody  deed.  She  pleaded  that  she  might  be 


48  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

thrown  overboard,  rather  than  be  taken  ashore 
and  turned  over  to  legal  authorities  in  the  United 
States,  and  then  she  begged  for  the  sake  of  her 
children  that  she  might  be  spared  and  landed  in 
Mexico.  While  the  interview  was  still  in  pro- 
gress, one  of  the  sailors  came  in  great  haste  to  the 
mate  and  summoned  the  men  on  deck.  For 
several  hours  a  strong  gale  had  been  blowing, 
and  now  directly  to  the  windward  of  the  vessel, 
and  apparently  but  a  few  leagues  distant,  a  great 
baloon-shaped,  black  cloud  was  visible.  The 
mate  pronounced  it  a  "black  squall,"  and  perhaps 
it  might  have  been  more  properly  called  a  tor- 
nado. In  tones  of  thunder  the  mate  ordered 
every  man  on  deck.  With  all  possible  haste 
everything  on  board  was  secured,  the  hatches 
closed,  and  everything  made  fast  for  the  antici- 
pated storm,  but  although  the  sailors  struggled 
away  as  if  their  lives  depended  upon  their  exer- 
tions, the  last  sail  had  not  been  made  fast  to  the 
spars  when  a  terrific  blast  struck  the  vessel.  For 
an  instant  she  seemed  to  quiver  like  a  reed  and 
the  next  moment  she  reeled  upon  her  beam  ends 
and  then  careened  over.  Before  she  righted  her- 
self a  monster  wave  swept  her  decks  and  she 
seemed  entirely  submerged  for  a  time.  Hemen- 
way  was  standing  by  the  wheel  when  the  storm 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  49 

struck  the  brig,  and  he  managed  to  maintain  his 
hold  upon  a  chain  secured  around  the  cabin. 
When  the  vessel  came  out  of  the  first  shock,  her 
main  mast  was  in  splinters  and  every  spar  was 
gone  or  hanging  by  the  rigging.  Four  sailors 
had  been  washed  overboard  and  left  no  trace  of 
their  doom  in  the  foaming  sea.  The  rest  of  the 
crew,  with  the  mate,  soon  severed  the  hanging 
spars  and  the  wreck  of  the  mainmast  which 
still  hung  to  the  vessel  and  threatened  to  swamp 
her.  For  nearly  an  hour  the  storm  continued  to 
rage  with  unabated  fury.  The  waters  of  the 
Gulf  foamed  and  seethed  like  a  raging  torrent. 
The  mighty  waves  arose  in  huge  walls  of  liquid 
destruction,  ever  and  anon  sweeping  completely 
over  the  dismantled  vessel  which  now  seemed 
lifted  to  the  heavens  and  then  appeared  sunk 
down  as  into  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death. 
When  at  last  the  wind  became  a  trifle  less 
boisterous  and  the  sky  a  little  less  black,  it  was 
discovered  that  the  unmanageable  wreck  was 
leaking  badly.  All  hands  were  put  to  work  on 
the  pumps  for  a  while  and  then  it  was  deemed 
advisable  to  throw  a  part  of  the  cargo  overboard. 
Many  bales  of  merchandise  were  cast  into  the 
sea  but  with  little  or  no  effect.  The  dismantled 
hulk  was  filling  with  water,  and  it  was  evident 


50  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

that  the  time  was  not  far  distant  when  she  must 
be  abandoned  or  go  down  with  all  on  board. 
The  wind  continued  to  abate  and  the  sea  became 
a  little  less  angry.  But  still  the  water  in  the 
hold  kept  creeping  up,  inch  by  inch,  in  spite  of 
the  most  desperate  efforts  to  check  its  progress. 
At  this  time  there  were  on  board,  all  told,  some 
nine  souls,  namely:  four  sailors,  Hemenway,  the 
mate,  the  dead  Captain's  widow  and  her  two 
daughters.  All  were  assembled  in  the  partly 
wrecked  cabin  to  hold  a  consultation. 

What  was  to  be  done?  Ah!  it  is  such  a  condi- 
tion that  levels  all  mankind — that  makes  them 
all  equal  and  all  humble  and  adjusts  all  differ- 
ences of  opinion,  creed  or  color.  No  one  was 
even  disposed  to  reproach  the  murderess  now. 
For  the  last  four  or  five  hours  she  had  labored 
like  a  common  seaman  to  save  the  brig.  Twice 
she  had  narrowly  escaped  being  washed  overboard, 
but  still  she  labored  on,  first  at  the  pumps,  then 
in  the  hold,  helping  to  discharge  a  part  of  the 
cargo,  and  finally  she  assisted  in  repairing  the 
vessel's  damaged  boats.  Immediately  after  the 
great  storm  struck  the  brig,  the  brave  woman 
demanded  to  be  released  from  her  chains.  Then 
she  had  firmly  lashed  her  daughters  to  the  stump 
of  the  mainmast  and  went  to  work  with  a  hatchet 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  51 

to  cut  loose  the  debris  still  hanging  by  the 
rigging.  Her  courage  and  daring  was  almost  as- 
tonishing and  she  looked  like  some  uncanny 
spirit  as  she  moved  about,  ax  in  hand,  her  long 
hair  hanging  in  wild  disorder,  and  her  whole 
person  dripping  wet  with  water,  which  every 
now  and  then  swept  in  violent  waves  over  the 
ill-fated  vessel. 

After  a  long  and  serious  discussion,  a  lunch 
with  brandy  was  served  to  all  on  board,  and  after 
some  further  examination  of  the  hull,  which 
appeared  to  be  leaking  more  and  more  as  the 
hours  passed  on,  a  unanimous  agreement  to 
abandon  the  wreck  and  take  to  the  boats  was 
reached.  There  were  three  small  boats  left? 
there  had  been  five  but  two  had  been  smashed 
by  the  water.  These  three  boats  had  been 
badly  damaged  and  one  of  them  would  leak 
still,  although  every  effort  had  been  made  to 
repair  it.  It  was  believed  that  the  Texas  coast 
might  be  easily  reached  in  a  few  days,  even  in 
these  open  frail  structures,  providing  the  weather 
would  only  moderate,  and  at  the  same  time  it  was 
deemed  unsafe  to  remain  over  night  on  board  the 
wreck.  When  this  decision  was  reached,  the 
brig's  chronometer  indicated  that  it  was  after 
four  o'clock  p.  m.,  but  all  hands  went  to  work 


52  MEMOIRS   OP   MY    DAY. 

with  a  will.  Several  casks  were  filled  with  fresh 
water;  provisions  were  carefully  packed;  a  com- 
pass for  each  boat  was  found ;  some  spare  canvas 
was  taken  from  the  mate's  quarters;  all  the  gold 
and  silver  on  board — and  there  were  several  thou- 
sand dollars — were  secured;  some  knives,  fish 
hooks,  canned  meats  and  vegetables,  with  other 
miscellaneous  articles,  were  got  in  readiness  to  be 
transferred  to  the  boats.  By  this  time  the  wind 
had  begun  to  die  out  entirely  although  the  Gulf 
was  very  rough.  However,  it  was  not  yet  dark 
and  the  boats  were  lowered  fortunately  without 
any  accident.  In  a  short  time  everything  neces- 
sary had  been  transferred  to  them  and  the  sailors 
pulled  clear  of  the  wreck,  but  none  too  soon;  for 
hardly  half  an  hour  later  in  the  gray  twilight 
the  Donna  Garcia  reeled  up  on  end  and  went 
down  in  plain  view  of  the  shipwrecked  crew, 
carrying  with  her  the  cold  body  of  her  owner 
and  captain  to  be  coffined  among  the  shells  and 
sharks  and  mermaids  of  the  deep. 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  53 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Adrift  in  Open   Boats. — Dashed  upon  the  Sand. — Through 
Mexico.— Sefior  Luna's   Family. 

fllE  three  boats  kept  within  sight  of  each 
other  until  dark.  The  waters  of  the  Gulf 
became  less  boisterous,  but  still  there  was 
constant  danger  of  capsizing.  The  best  of  the 
boats  was  occupied  by  Mrs.  Varres,  her  two  c'hil- 
dren,  the  mate  and  one  able-bodied  seaman.  The 
other  two  boats  were  smaller,  and  two  men  occu- 
pied each  one.  All  had  agreed  to  keep  the  same 
general  direction  as  near  as  possible,  and  steered 
for  the  north.  In  the  boat  which  Hemenway 
occupied  there  were  ample  provisions  to  last  two 
men  a  week.  His  companion  was  a  huge  Mexi- 
can half-breed  who  spoke  and  understood  little 
or  no  English.  By  turns  the  two  men  tugged  at 
the  oars  and  sat  at  the  helm  during  the  night. 
When  morning  came  the  sea  was  so  calm  that 
both  men  decided  to  rest,  and  after  partaking  of 
an  ample  meal,  both  lay  down  in  the  bottom  of 
the  boat  and  were  soon  fast  asleep.  It  was  long 
after  midday  before  either  of  them  awoke.  Hem- 
enway was  the  first  to  open  his  eyes.  The  weather 


54  MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY. 

was  still  fair.  After  another  lunch,  they  both 
took  hold  of  the  oars  and  pulled  until  after  dark. 
The  second  night  was  passed  much  as  the  first 
had  been.  Again  the  day  was  devoted  to  rest, 
and  the  third  and  fourth  nights  passed  unevent- 
fully. ,  The  other  boats  had  not  been  seen  since 
the  night  the  wreck  was  deserted.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  fourth  day  evidences  of  land  were 
visible,  but  a  baffling  wind  set  in  during  the  after- 
noon, and  before  dark  the  water  was  very  rough, 
and  navigation  in  such  a  small  craft  was  haz- 
ardous and  difficult  in  the  extreme.  However, 
the  wind  shifted  into  a  more  favorable  quarter, 
and  the  prospect  of  reaching  land  the  next  day  was 
encouraging.  Clouds  obscured  the  sky,  but  after 
midnight  the  weather  again  moderated  a  little. 
The  two  men  were  very  nearly  exhausted  with  the 
toils  which  they  had  undergone,  and  paid  little 
attention  to  anything  except  to  keep  the  boat 
from  capsizing.  Suddenly,  about  two  o'clock  on 
the  fifth  night,  a  rough  shock  startled  the  two 
occupants  of  the  craft.  They  had  scarcely  time 
to  look  about  them  when  a  second  and  third 
shock  followed,  and  the  water  rushed  in  through 
a  great  hole  that  had  been  smashed  through  the 
bottom  of  the  little  boat.  There  was  scarcely  a 
moment  for  thought.  The  boat  was  going  to 


MEMOIRS    OF   MY    DAY.  55 

pieces.  Hemeiiway  divested  himself  of  his  boots 
and  coat,  seized  an  oar,  and  plunged  out  into  the 
breakers.  It  was  too  dark  to  see  far,  and  there- 
fore impossible, to  tell  whether  the  shore  was  near 
at  hand  or  not.  The  first  wave  landed  him  high 
and  dry  upon  a  rock  and  severely  stunned  him; 
a  second  and  a  third  almost  lifted  him  from  the 
foothold  he  had  found.  A  momentary  lull  fol- 
lowed, and  then  wave  after  wave  splashed  over 
him,  but  he  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  firm  hold 
upon  a  jutting  edge  of  the  rock  whereon  he  sat, 
and  there  he  held  fast  until  day  began  to  dawn, 
when  the  dim  outline  of  the  shore  was  visible 
only  a  few  rods  off.  Gathering  up  his  courage, 
and  convinced  that  he  could  not  maintain  his 
position  much  longer,  he  made  for  the  beach  on 
the  crest  of  a  breaker  which  carried  him  along 
with  a  terrifying  velocity,  and  suddenly  dropped 
him  more  dead  than  alive  upon  the  sand,  where 
he  laid  for  several  hours  in  a  half-conscious  con- 
dition. When  he  revived  enough  to  walk  about 
he  found  the  wreck  of  the  boat,  in  which  he  had 
been  cast  away,  not  far  off  upon  the  sand,  together 
with  the  half-filled  fresh  water  cask  and  some 
half-spoiled  provisions,  upon  which  he  feasted. 
A  lunch  refreshed  and  invigorated  him.  The 
body  of  the  sailor  who  had  been  cast  upon  the 


56  MEMOIRS    OF   MY    DAY. 

shore  with  him  was  also  found,  but  it  was  bruised, 
stiff  and  inanimate.  After  dragging  the  remains 
back  from  the  water  and  covering  them  with 
grass,  Hemenway  walked  along, the  beach  for 
several  miles.  He  found  himself  upon  the  nar- 
row, low  strip  of  land  known  as  Padre  Island. 
Crossing  this  island  near  the  southern  extremity 
thereof,  he  hailed  a  small  vessel,and  was  eventually 
landed  on  the  mainland  of  Texas,  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Rio  Grande  River,  whence  he  proceeded  to 
Brownsville,  and  there  rested  for  a  week  or  so. 
He  had  been  badly  bruised  and  was  almost  ex- 
hausted, but,  thank  good  fortune!  he  had  carried 
his  gold  safely  through  with  him.  Scarcely  had 
his  wounds  healed  when  he  set  out  for  the  city  of 
Mexico,  traveling  day  and  night,  part  of  the  way 
on  horseback,  but  mainly  by  stage.  At  Monterey, 
in  the  State  of  Nuevo  Leon,  he  gave  up  the  notion 
of  visiting  the  Mexican  capital  and  proceeded  to 
Chihuahua,  the  capital  of  a  state  of  the  same 
name.  It  was  a  long  and  dreary  ride  of  nearly 
or  quite  six  hundred  miles,  for  there  were  then 
no  railroads  in  that  section  of  Mexico.  With  its 
mixed  inhabitants,  adobe  houses,  peculiar  and 
picturesque  landscapes,  with  its  air  of  repose,  and 
the  prevailing  primitive  condition  of  its  civiliza- 
tion, the  land  of  Mexico  presented  a  striking 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  57 

appearance  to  our  young  traveler.  He  had 
learned  enough  of  the  Spanish  language  to  make 
himself  partially  understood,  and  with  an  eye  to 
the  business  of  seeing  the  sights  and  novelties 
which  the  country  afforded,  he  nevertheless 
traveled  very  much  like  an  amateur  excursionist, 
missing  a  great  deal,  if  not  all,  that  he  should 
have  most  desired  to  observe  and  study.  It  must 
have  been  about  the  last  of  November  when  he 
r^iched  Chihuahua,  where  lie  determined  to  stay 
for  a  few  days,  to  rest  and  prepare  for  a  journey 
to  Guaymas  on  the  Gulf  of  California.  At  that 
time  (1880)  there  was  no  railway  in  Chihuahua. 
The  spirit  of  modern  progress  had  not  yet  in- 
vaded its  slumbering  precincts.  It  presented  that 
appearance  which  is  typical  of  all  Mexican  cities. 
Although  it  contained  a  population  of  at  least 
ten  or  twelve  thousand,  souls,  there  was  but  one 
real  public  house  or  hotel  in  the  entire  place, 
but  in  lieu  thereof  furnished  rooms  could  be 
readily  obtained  at  a  very  low  rental,  and  restaur- 
ants, such  as  they  were,  could  be  patronized  by 
the  traveler,  providing  he  was  hungry,  and  there- 
fore not  very  particular  about  the  cuisine.  Adobe 
buildings, one  story  high,  were  used  for  residences, 
shops,  stores,  and  every  other  purpose.  Then,  of 
course,there  was  the  grand  plaza  where  every  loafer 


58  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

and  beggar  in  the  city  loved  to  congregate,  and 
where  more  respectable  people  often  assembled  to 
gossip  and  loiter.  From  Chihuahua  young  Hem- 
enway  wrote  a  voluminous  account  of  his  travels 
in  Mexico,  which  was  afterwards  published  in 
detached  sketches  in  different  Chicago  and  St. 
Louis  papers.  From  this  source  his  purse  was 
partially  replenished.  In  company  with  a  young 
Mexican,  who  boasted  an  unbroken  line  of  Cas- 
tilian  ancestry,  reaching  back  to  the  time  of  the 
Spanish  conquest,  Hemenway  visited  several 
leading  families,  merchants,  officers  and  Catholic 
priests.  These  people  represented  the  better  class 
of  society;  they  were  courteous  in  the  extreme, 
and  particularly  hospitable  and  generous,  as  well 
as  generally  intelligent  and  well-informed.  But 
no  one  could  fail  to  note  that  the  masses  of  the 
people  were  inferior,  ignorant,  and  correspond- 
ingly degraded.  A  German-American  merchant 
who  had  been  located  in  Chihuahua  for  years,  is 
authority  for  the  statement  that  vice  and  degra- 
dation in  every  form  were  no  strangers  to  the 
place.  He  said  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for 
lower-class  mothers  to  sell  the  virtue  of  their  own 
ten  and  twelve  year  old  daughters.  Shiftlessness, 
inertia,  the  dread  of  labor,  were  characteristics  of 
the  masses. 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  59 

But  it  was  different  with  the  better  classes. 
We  gained  admittance  to  the  household  of  Senor 
Luna.  He  was  a  gentleman  of  some  wealth  and 
possessed  a  large  adobe  residence  elegantly  fur- 
nished throughout.  The  house  was  built  in  the 
form  of  a  hollow  square.  Suits  of  rooms  ex- 
tended all  around  an  open  court,  where  an  abun- 
dance of  flowers  and  plants  were  grown.  Hardly 
any  two  of  the  rooms  connected  directly  with 
each  other.  All  had  doors  and  windows  opening 
into  the  court.  Seiior  Luna  was  a  tall  and  grace- 
ful elderly  man,  with  a  high  forehead,  black  hair 
and  eyes,  and  a  dignified  and  courteous  manner. 
He  spoke  some  English.  His  family  consisted  of 
a  wife  and  three  daughters;  also  one  or  two  sons 
who  were  absent  at  school.  Seiiora  Luna  was 
seldom  seen,  and  the  daughters  never  received 
admirers  alone  or  went  out  in  'company  with 
young  men.  In  the  presence  of  their  father  they 
were  shy,  modest  and  reticent.  They  were  slender 
in  form  and  graceful  in  movement,  their  eyes  jet 
black,  their  hair  long  and  equally  dark.  Short 
in  stature  and  prematurely  developed  into  woman- 
hood, they  were  probably  typical  Mexican  beau- 
ties. Servants  waited  upon  them  and  they  lived 
a  life  of  ease,  almost  as  closely  guarded  as  the 
inmates  of  a  Turkish  harem.  They  possessed 


60  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

none  of  the  vivacity  and  were  allowed  none  of 
the  liberty  of  the  American  girl.  Although 
tasteful  dancers  and  masters  of  the  guitar  and 
capable  of  singing  Mexican  ditties  with  grace 
and  peculiar  pathos,  their  accomplishments  were 
limited  in  the  extreme,  and  they  seemed  only 
ambitious  of  becoming  the  playthings  of  some 
gallant  man.  Their  mother  had  probably  been 
as  beautiful  as  her  daughters,  once,  and  as  slender 
and  delicate,  but  now  she  was  flit  and  "squatty"  in 
appearance  and  anything  but  lithe,  graceful  or 
attractive.  Seiior  Luna's  family  was  a  fair  sample 
of  the  better  class  of  Mexicans.  Religiously,  they 
were  devout  Catholics.  In  society  and  every- 
where they  were  proud,  haughty,  reserved,  rarely 
gay,  never  boisterous  or  hilarious,  but  always 
dignified  and  courteous. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

To  Guaymas.— In  a  Pest-house.— Saved  by  Sisters  of  Charity. 
— To  San  Francisco  and  Australia.— A  Horrible  Scene. 

fROM  Chihuahua,  Hemen way  proceeded  over- 
land to  Guaymas,  a  considerable  Mexican 
city  on  the  Gulf    of    California.     At  the 
present  time  there  is  a  railroad  connecting  Guay- 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  61 

mas  with  El  Paso  del  Norte,  and  there  forming  a 
junction  with  other  railways  leading  through  the 
United  States  on  the  north,  and  through  Chihua- 
hua to  the  City  of  Mexico  on  the  south,  but  in 
1880  those  railway  connections  had  not  been 
completed,  and  Guaymas  was  a  dull  and  com- 
paratively isolated  city,enjoying  some  commercial 
advantages  by  virtue  of  its  seaport  but  otherwise 
of  little  consequence  notwithstanding  its  consider- 
able size.  The  trip  overland  from  Chihuahua  to 
Guaymas  in  1880  was  interesting  in  the  extreme 
to  a  young  man  fond  of  exploring  regions  new  to 
him,  and  Mr.  Hemenway  still  retains  vivid  recol- 
lections of  his  emotions  while  riding  by  day  and 
night  through  strange  mountain  scenery,  over 
barren  tracts  that  will  yet  be  fertilized  by  the  in- 
dustrial arts  of  man;  through  gorges  and  canons, 
where  mounds  of  stones,  with  a  wooden  cross, 
occasionally  indicated  the  spot  where  reposed  the 
remains  of  some  unfortunate  traveler  who  had 
been  waylaid  by  Indians  or  murdered  by  highway- 
men. Then  there  were  occasional  Mexican  settle- 
ments with  their  dusky  inhabitants,  full  of  mys- 
tery to  the  eyes  of  the  young  traveler,  together 
with  pleasant  daily  adventures  that  gave  flavor 
to  the  monotony  of  the  trip.  At  one  time  a  great 
Rattlesnake  attracted  the  driver's  attention,  as  it 


62  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

lay  asleep  in  the  road,  and  the  sport  of  killing  it 
was  fascinating  because  of  the  danger  incurred. 
Again  a  herd  of  antelope  would  pass  too  near 
the  diligence  or  stage,  and  a  careful  shot  now 
and  then  brought  one  of  them  to  the  ground. 
Then  there  were  coyotes  to  shoot  at  and  an 
occasional  prairie  dog  town  with  its  strange 
inhabitants,  consisting  of  prairie  dogs,  owls  and 
snakes,  which  seemed  to  dwell  together  in  har- 
mony. 

At  Guaymas,  young  Hemenway  was  taken 
sick;  the  doctors  thought  he  had  the  yellow 
fever;  he  was  hustled  off  to  a  quarantine  hospital, 
and  a  few  days  later  dragged  out  into  a  sort 
of  dead-house  where  he  lay  for  a  day  or  so 
without  food  or  medical  attendance.  It  was  a 
deplorable  condition  to  be  in.  Alone  among 
strangers,  and  unable,  from  sheer  weakness,  to 
move  enough  to  turn  over,  it  seemed  as  if  nothing 
could  save  him  from  the  grave,  but  a  kindly 
Providence  intervened.  Some  Sisters  of  Charity 
visited  the  pest-house,  and,  finding  the  young  man 
still  alive,  they  moved  him  into  a  better  apart- 
ment, and  gave  him  medicine  and  food,  and 
nursed  him  with  all  the  tenderness  of  a  mother. 
They  used  to  kneel  beside  his  cot  and  devoutly 
say  their  prayers  as  they  counted  their  beads,  and 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  63 

occasionally  allowed  the  tears  to  stream  down 
their  white  faces.  Once  convalescent,  the  patient 
speedily  recovered.  Then  without  delay  he  pro- 
ceeded to  San  Francisco  by  steamer.  It  was 
about  the  middle  of  February,  1881,  when  he 
passed  through  the  Golden  Gate  for  the  first  time. 
In  the  metropolis  of  the  west,  he  remained  but  a 
short  time.  During  all  his  travels  he  had  per- 
formed arduous  literary  labor  for  different  news- 
papers and  magazines,  and  earned  enough  money 
to  pay  a  greater  part  of  his  expenses.  In  Cali- 
fornia he  was  fortunate  in  obtaining  the  favor  of 
Charles  Wilcott  Brooks,  a  man  of  much  literary 
experience  and  ability,  who  secured  him  many 
privileges  in  the  way  of  free  passes,  and  also 
introduced  him  to  many  leaders  of  society.  Hem- 
enway  paid  visits  to  San  Jose,  Los  Angeles,  Sac- 
ramento and  intermediate  points  of  interest.  He 
also  visited  Angel  Island,  and,  through  the 
courtesy  of  General  McDowell,was  kindly  received 
and  entertained  by  officers  at  the  military  posts 
of  Angel  Island,  Alcatraz  and  The  Presidio.  He 
also  visited  Saucelito,  and  took  particular  delight 
in  sailing  over  San  Francisco  bay.  The  weather 
was  occasionally  chilly  and  wet,  but  at  midday  it 
was  often  pleasant  and  even  warm.  Some  of  the 
scenery  which  enfilades  the  bay  is  beautiful  and 


64  MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY. 

even  grand,  and  had  a  sort  of  rustic  enchantment 
for  the  young  traveler. 

It  was  near  the  last  of  March  when  Hemenway 
projected  a  trip  to  Australia.  After  a  little  delay 
he  finally  sailed  once  more  through  the  Golden 
Gate,  this  time  outward  bound.  Thirty  days 
later,  after  a  voyage  of  some  eight  or  ten  thous- 
and miles,  he  again  disembarked  from  his  steamer 
in  the  city  of  Sydney,  New  South  Wales.  Port 
Jackson,  the  bay  upon  which  Sydney  is  located, 
affords  a  safe  harbor  to  the  ships  of  all  nations. 
The  city  is  nearly,  if  not  quite,  as  large  as  San 
Francisco,  and  possesses  many  commercial  attrac- 
tions. The  people  are  mostly  English  and  ex- 
tremely enterprising.  Owing  to  his  ignorance  of 
the  country,  young  Hemenway  found  himself  at 
quite  a  disadvantage  in  his  new  field  of  adven- 
ture. The  climate  of  the  region  where  jSydney 
is  located  is  agreeable  most  parts  of  the  year. 
The  coldest  month  is  July,  and  the  warmest  sea- 
son occurs  in  January  and  February.  In  the 
main  the  weather  is  mild,  though  sometimes 
extremely  warm,  yet  rarely,  if  ever,  cold  enough 
to  freeze. 

Hemenway  remained  in  Australia  about  a  year. 
Soon  after  his  advent  in  Sydney  his  supply  of 
cash  was  exhausted,  and  he  was  reduced  to  the 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  65 

utmost  necessity  of  exertion.  During  the  follow- 
ing months  he  passed  through  a  series  of  trials 
and  vicissitudes  that  would  have  crushed  a  less 
determined  soul.  At  one  time  he  found  himself 
toiling  to  perform  the  duties  of  a  common  laborer 
in  the  mines  of  Victoria;  at  another  time  he  tried 
the  business  of  driving  a  stage;  again  he  became 
a  sheep  herder  for  a  few  weeks,  and  then  a  road 
builder,  a  sailor,  and  a  miner  again  in  succession. 
Eventually,  after  many  failures,  fortune  again 
smiled  upon  him;  he  became  a  reporter,  begin- 
ning by  furnishing  police  items,  and  ending  as  a 
writer  of  especial  articles,  for  which  he  was  hand- 
somely paid.  He  kept  a  sort  of  diary  during  the 
latter  portion  of  his  stay  in  Australia.  Originally 
it  was  his  intention  to  publish  the  substance  of 
that  memorandum  in  this  work,  but  a  desire  to 
give  Utah,  the  "Mormon"  question,  and  the 
Sandwich  Islands  some  notice  in  this  volume, 
has  persuaded  him  to  reserve  the  full  narrative 
of  his  experience  in  Australia  for  a  future  publi- 
cation. Therefore  this  portion  of  his  pilgrimage 
will  be  chiefly  left  to  occupy  the  leisure  hours  of 
another  day — perhaps  the  latter  portion  of  his 
present  term  of  imprisonment — when  dreary 
hours  may  suggest  further  recourse  to  the  pen 
for  relief  from  the  tedium  of  time,  in  the  renewal 


66  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

of  past  memories  pregnant  with  a  host  of  sensa- 
tions, varying  from  the  pleasures  of  happy  success 
and  bright  triumph,  to  the  woe  of  want  and 
failure.  We  will  here  pause  only  to  state  the 
recollection  of  one  horrible  scene  which  greeted 
the  eyes  of  the  young  traveler  while  he  was  a 
reporter  in  Sydney.  Early  one  morning,  long 
before  daylight,  while  a  scribe  engaged  on  a 
morning  paper,  he  was  returning  from  his  office 
where  he  had  read  his  last  proof  for  the  next 
matutinal  issue,  when  several  policemen  crossed 
his  path  at  -a  double  quick  pace  and  talking 
excitedly.  His  reportorial  instinct  taught  him 
to  follow  them.  They  hastened  to  a  disreputable 
quarter  of  the  city,  and  entered  a  house  around 
which  a  crowd  of  curious  people  had  already 
assembled.  They  were  all  talking  about  "the 
villian,"  and  indulging  in  the  free  use  of  strong 
epithets.  The  reporter  accompanied  the  officers 
with  their  courteous  permission,  and  was  ushered 
into  a  large  bedroom  upstairs,  which  had  been  lux- 
uriantly furnished.  But  the  chairs  were  partly 
smashed  and  thrown  into  a  heap  in  one  corner; 
broken  wine  bottles  and  fragments  of  a  large  mirror 
were  strewn  over  the  carpet,  and  in  the  centre  of 
the  apartment  lay  the  inanimate  form  of  a  woman 
with  her  skull  literally  crushed  into  pieces,  and 


MEMOIKS   OF    MY    DAY.  67 

the  brains  and  blood  still  oozing  out.  She  was 
all  that  remained  of  a  fallen  woman.  That  night 
she  had  entertained  the  son  of  a  well-known 
gambler.  He  had  been  drinking  heavily,  and  in 
some  unknown  way  she  had  given  him  offense. 
A  quarrel  ensued  which  led  to  a  struggle  for  life, 
in  the  course  of  which  he  threw  her  to  the  floor 
and  smashed  her  brains  out  with  the  heel  of  his 
boot.  Jt  was  a  frightful  spectacle — one  never  to 
be  forgotten.  The  wretched  murderer  made  good 
his  escape  for  a  time,  but  was  finally  apprehended, 
though  whether  he  was  ever  punished  or  not  we 
do  not  know.  Subsequent  investigation  by  the 
authorities  led  to  the  discovery  that  the  woman 
was  of  American  birth.  Her  parents  still  live 
in  Virginia,  if  they  have  not  passed  away  very 
recently,  and  they  are  wealthy,  worthy,  and 
respectable.  She  was  an  only  daughter,  too, 
well  educated  and  well  brought  up,  but  head- 
strong. While  yet  a  very  young  woman  she  had 
married  a  man,  whom  she  did  not  love,  only  to 
suit  relatives;  a  little  later  she  was  the  central 
figure  of  a  scandal  which  soon  got  publicity 
through  the  newspapers  of  New  York  City;  she 
deserted  her  home  to  share  the  fortunes  of  an 
actor,  who  led  her  astray  and,  in  turn,  deserted 
her.  She  fell  lower  and  lower,  and  to  hide  her 


68  MEMOIKS   OF   MY   DAY. 

shame  from  all  who  had  known  her,  fled  to  Aus- 
tralia. Her  remarkable  beauty  was  still  partly 
preserved,  and  she  made  some  money  at  the  cost 
of  her  own  loathsome  misery  and  degradation, 
only  to  be  murdered  in  a  brothel.  Such,  or  a 
similar  end,  is  the  horrible  fate  of  thousands  in 
Christian  lands. 


CHAPTER   X. 

Bick  to  the  Pacific  Coast.— In  S  vithern  Arizona  and  New 
Mexico. — To  the  Sandwich  Islands  as  a  Secret  Agent. — 
Eccentric  Colonel  Norris. 

JT  was  in  July,  1882,  before  Charles  W.  Hemen- 
way  reached  San  Francisco  on  his  return  from 
Australia.  He  brought  back  with  him  over 
three  hundred  pounds  in  English  gold,  and  a 
week  or  two  after  his  return  he  began  to  specu- 
late in  stocks  on  a  small  scale.  At  first  he  was 
very  successful  and  very  soon  doubled  his  capital. 
Then  he  got  a  trifle  less  careful,  and  one  bright 
morning  he  woke  up  and  found  himself  prac- 
tically penniless.  Immediately  he  procured  a 
loan  of  sufficient  money,  from  a  friend,  to  take 
him  to  Arizona,  where  he  determined  to  retrieve 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  69 

his  fortunes  in  the  mines  at  Tombstone,  then 
attracting  some  attention.  The  Southern  Pacific 
Railway  afforded  him  speedy  transportation,  but 
although  he  visited  the  Tombstone  mining  sec- 
tion, he  satisfied  himself  by  writing  a  description 
of  that  region  and  departed  for  El  Paso,  on  the 
Rio  Grande.  In  the  meanwhile  he  fell  back 
upon  his  pen,  and  once  more  procured  a  liveli- 
hood by  writing.  One  evening,  while  returning 
from  a  visit  to  the  Mexican  City  of  Paso  del 
Norte,  located  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  he 
was  "held  up"  by  a  road  agent,  and  relieved  of 
his  gold  watch  and  rings,  all  of  which  he  prized 
very  highly  because  they  were  the  gifts  of  friends. 
The  country  in  the  neighborhood  of  El  Paso  was 
then  a  sort  of  pandemonium.  The  advent  of 
railroads  had  been  the  source  of  a  local  revolu- 
tion in  society  and  business  affairs.  A  consider- 
able ruffian  element  had  drifted  into  the  country, 
and  robberies  and  even  murders  were  of  constant 
occurrence.  Hemenway  did  not  relish  such  an 
abnormal  condition  of  affairs,  and  forthwith  re- 
turned to  California.  By  constant  and  hard  liter- 
ary labor  he  had  been  able  to  repay  the  money 
which  he  had  borrowed,  and  to  meet  his  every 
day  expenses,  which  were  very  meagre  at  this 
time.  But  he  had  no  surplus  capital  to  speak  of 


70  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

and  incessant  labor  by  day  and  writing  by  night 
had  perceptibly  injured  his  health.  This  was 
some  time  in  September,  1882.  An  ULexpected 
remittance,  for  articles  sent  to  a  Philadelphia  pub- 
lisher a  long  time  before,  came  to  his  relief,  and 
enabled  him  to  visit  Santa  Cruz,  a  very  pleasant 
watering  place  on  the  coast.  After  a  short  stay 
there,  which  benefitted  his  health  very  much,  he 
once  more  returned  to  San  Francisco.  For  a 
week  or  more  he  did  some  irregular  literary  work 
for  the  local  press,  and  then  he  was  approached 
by  a  gentleman  who  represented  himself  as  an  ac- 
credited agent  of  the  Hawaiian  government.  This 
gentleman  wanted  a  clever  newspaper  man  to  do 
a  special  service.  The  Planters'  organization  of 
the  Islands  were  waging  a  bitter  war  upon  the 
then  Hawaiian  adminstration,  and  it  was  feared 
that  they  contemplated  revolution  and  blood- 
shed. Colonel  R.  Z.  Spaulding  was  the  leader  of 
the  Planters'  club  on  the  Islands.  As  the  Planters 
were  about  to  hold  one  of  their  annual  conclaves, 
Colonel  Spaulding  was  known  to  be  preparing 
some  sort  of  a  manifesto.  In  order  to  take  proper 
precautionary  measures,  the  then  Hawaiian  ad- 
ministration, in  the  interest  of  peace,  deemed  it 
of  importance  to  ascertain  in  advance  what 
were  the  real  designs  of  the  Planters.  To 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY   DAY.  71 

accomplish  this  purpose,  the  government  of  Hawaii 
wanted  a  discreet  person  to  proceed  as  a  detec- 
tive, incognito,  to  the  Islands.  Colonel  Spaulding 
was  then  advertising  for  a  gardener,  in  the  San 
Francisco  papers,  and  it  was  deemed  a  good 
opportunity  to  get  near  the  residence  of  the 
belligerent  and  dreaded  Colonel.  For  a  valuable 
consideration,  young  Hemenway  undertook  the 
service.  Without  exciting  the  suspicion  of  Spauld- 
ing's  agent,  he  made  a  contract  to  proceed  at 
once  to  Honolulu,  and  thence  to  Spaulding's 
residence  on  the  island  of  Kauai,  to  lay  out  a 
landscape  garden  for  the  Colonel.  Acting  upon 
the  adroit  instructions  which  he  received  from 
the  Hawaiian  agent,  everything  worked  like  a 
charm.  Hemenway  forthwith  sailed  on  the  bark 
Murray  for  Honolulu.  It  was  a  peculiar  voyage, 
and  lasted  eighteen  days.  There  were  a  number 
of  passengers  on  board  who  preferred  to  travel 
on  a  sail  vessel  rather  than  on  a  steamship. 
Among  these  passengers  was  the  venerable  and 
eccentric  Colonel  Norris,  a  notable  character  well 
known  in  California,  where  he  has  considerable 
property,  and  also  well  known  in  Honolulu. 
Mr.  Norris  also  owns  an  immense  tract  of  land  in 
Mexico,  where  he  once  figured  as  a  revolutionary 
leader,  and  as  the  consequence  of  a  disastrous 


72  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

battle  was  driven  into  exile.  He  was  then  very 
old,  and  we  know  not  whether  he  is  alive  yet  or 
not,  but  he  was  vigorous  in  intellect,  and  knew 
all  about  everybody  of  any  note  on  the  Sand- 
wich Islands.  In  his  earlier  day  he  had  been  a 
man  of  powerful  physique,  and  even  yet  he  had 
considerable  strength,  but  he  was  quite  deaf,  and 
rarely  conversed  with  anyone  on  that  account. 
However,  he  formed  a  special  attachment  for 
young  Hemenway,  to  whom  he  recounted  the 
chief  events  of  his  life.  He  had  visited  the  port 
of  Honolulu  forty-nine  times  during  his  life. 
He  was  an  experienced  navigator,  and  in  his 
way  a  genius.  He  gave  Hemenway  a  great  deal 
of  valuable  information  about  the  condition  of 
affairs  in  Hawaii,  and  pointed  out  to  him  the 
path  of  glory  for  young  ambition  to  follow  there. 
To  illustrate  the  Colonel's  peculiar  eccentricity,  let 
us  say  a  word  about  his  amusements  while,  on 
shipboard.  He  had  a  long  line  with  a  fish  hook 
attached,  and  would  silently  sit  and  fish  for  hours 
when  the  bark  was  in  a  calm  or  moving  very 
slowly.  At  other  times,  when  the  sea-gulls  were 
following  close  in  the  wake  of  the  vessel,  he 
would  fasten  a  piece  of  wood  near  the  hook  on 
his  line,  bait  the  hook  with  a  large  piece  of 
pork,  and  catch  gulls,  draw  them  in,  and,  with 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  73 

shears,  notch  their  wings  like  a  saw;  then  he 
had  some  pieces  of  canvas  cut  about  eight  inches 
square,  with  a  small  slit  in  the  middle  through 
which  he  would  draw  the  head  and  neck  of  each 
gull  as  he  caught  it,  and  then,  with  an  air  of 
inimitable  mock  solemnity  that  used  to  make 
the  passengers  roar  with  laughter,  he  would  pro- 
nounce an  oration  dedicating  the  decorated  gull 
with  his  clipped  wings  to  the  office  of  a  bishop, 
or  a  "sea  attorney,"  or  a  monk,  or  a  cardinal,  at 
the  same  time  tossing  the  astonished  bird  out 
upon  the  water.  The  wings  of  these  gulls  were 
clipped  so  evenly  that  they  could  fly  as  well 
as  ever,  apparently;  and  it  was  not  an  unusual 
thing  to  see  a  dozen  or  two  of  them  following 
in  the  wake  of  the  bark  with  their  cloth  apron 
about  their  necks,  and  their  notched  wings  show- 
ing the  effects  of  clipping  every  time  they 
attempted  to  fly. 

After  an  unusually  tedious  voyage  of  some 
eighteen  days  the  Islands  were  sighted,  and  the 
bark  soon  passed  into  the  passage  between  the 
islands  of  Molokai  and  Oahu,  where  a  provoking 
calm  occurred.  The  day  before  a  huge  shark 
followed  closely  in  the  wake  of  the  vessel,  and 
Colonel  Norris  at  once  predicted  that  there  would 
be  a  death  on  board.  And,  sure  enough,  while 


74  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

\ 

we  were  lying  in  the  calm  the  next  day,  an 
elderly  lady,  returning  to  her  home  in  Honolulu, 
expired  while  all  alone  in  her  state-room.  When 
the  shark  first  appeared,  the  Colonel  produced  a 
huge  shark  hook,  which  was  about  as  large  as 
what  is  known  as  a  "hog  hook"  in  the  States. 
This  he  baited  with  a  young  pig,  which  had  been 
born  on  board.  The  hook  was  attached  to  a  piece 
of  chain,  which,  in  turn,  was  fastened  to  a  large 
rope,  and  then  the  Colonel  proceeded  to  fish  for 
the  shark.  The  huge  fish  came  up  near  the 
surface  of  the  water,  not  more  than  eight  feet  from 
the  vessel.  Over  him  floated  two  small  striped 
fish  that  acted  as  pilot  to  the  shark,  apparently. 
After  some  little  hesitation,  the  shark  made  a 
plunge  for  the  pig  on  the  hook.  He  seized  and 
swallowed  pig,  hook  and  chain  in  an  instant,  arid 
when  the  Colonel  and  several  seamen  undertook 
to  pull  him  in,  he  flapped  against  the  side  of  the 
vessel  and  snapped  the  rope  that  held  him.  But 
this  did  not  dismay  the  shark  at  all.  With  the 
piece  of  the  rope  attached  to  the  hook  hanging 
out  of  his  mouth,  he  soon  reappeared  very  near 
the  side  of  the  bark.  Then  the  Colonel  got  out  a 
harpoon  and  drove  it  into  the  side  of  the  shark. 
This  time  blood  covered  the  water  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  "of  the  great  fish,  but  the  rope 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  75 

attached  to  the  harpoon  broke,  and  the  shark  was 
again  at  liberty.  After  that  he  kept  at  a  respect- 
ful distance  from  the  vessel,  and  eventually  dis- 
appeared, carrying  both  hook  and  harpoon. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

In  Honolulu. —The  Kanakas.— Ah  Fong,  a  Chinese  Million- 
aire, and  his  Unfortunate  Daughter. 

next  day  after  the  Murray  was  becalmed 
between  the  islands  of  Molokai  and  Oahu, 
a  small  steamer  from  the  Cummings'  Sugar 
Plantation,  on  the  east  side  of  Oahu,  hove  in  sight, 
and  came  alongside  the  bark.  Her  captain  con- 
sented to  tow  the  Murray  into  Honolulu  harbor,  and 
before  night  the  bark  was  safely  made  fast  along- 
side of  the  wharf,  near  the  foot  of  Fourth  Street. 
This  was  not  the  first  time  that  young  Hemenway 
had  visited  this  port.  In  going  to  and  returning 
from  Australia  he  had  stopped  a  few  hours  in 
Honolulu.  This  city  is  the  capitalof  the  Hawai- 
ian kingdom,  and,  indeed,  the  only  city  of  any 
importance  within  the  realm.  It  is  located  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Island  of  Oahu,  upon  a  very 


76  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

capacious  harbor  which,  however,  must  be  en- 
tered with  some  care,  as  the  channel  is  enfiladed 
with  coral  reefs  that  have  more  than  once  been 
fatal  to  the  careless  or  ignorant  mariner.  The 
city  of  Honolulu  stretches  over  a  considerable 
extent  of  level  and  but  slightly  elevated  country 
from  the  beach  back  to  the  mountains,  which  rise 
to  a  considerable  height  just  north  of  the  city, 
and  indeed  form  the  backbone  of  the  whole 
island.  The  population  of  the  place  will  reach 
nearly  twenty  thousand  altogether,  over  half  of 
which  is  composed  of  natives  and  Chinese.  The 
whole  city  is  embowered  in  perpetual  verdure.  As 
viewed  from  a  distance,  either  from  the  sea  or 
from  the  mountains,  it  appears  one  vast  arbor  of 
foliage.  Here  the  rose  blooms  in  the  open  air  all 
the  year  around,  and  the  palm  tree,  the  orange, 
fig,  and  banana  flourish  with  but  little  care. 
It  is  a  lovely  spot,  endowed  by  nature  with 
a  perfect  climate  of  eternal  summer,  but  unhap- 
pily blighted  by  a  people  degenerate  in  part  and 
sorely  afflicted.  When  the  Islands  were  first  dis- 
covered by  Captain  Cook,  the  natives  were  in  a 
state  of  nature — rude  and  barbarian.  But  then 
they  were  a  healthful  race,  perfect  in  physique, 
and  free  from  all  the  taints  of  hereditary  disease. 
They  were  called  Kanakas,  a  name  which  is  still 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  77 

applied  to  them,  and  as  a  people  they  were  not 
wholly  Indian  nor  akin  to  the  negro.  Their 
complexion  was  of  a  dark,  copper  color,  their 
hair  generally  black  and  straight,  but  their  lips 
were  not  usually  as  thick  as  those  of  the  Ethio- 
pian, and  their  intellectual  development  was 
greater.  Taken  all  in  all,  Christian  civilization 
has  done  an  injury  to  the  Kanakas,  or  at  least 
with  the  progress  of  civilization  vices  and  dis- 
eases have  been  introduced  among  them,  and 
they  have  not  only  retrograded  physically,  but 
also  degenerated  morally.  In  numbers,  too,  they 
have  dwindled  away,  and  to-day  there  are  prob- 
ably not  forty  thousand  Kanakas  where  there 
were  four  hundred  thousand  on  the  Islands  a 
century  or  two  ago.  The  modern  Kanaka  is  but 
a  feeble  representative  of  his  ancestors.  Whisky 
and  debaucheries,  introduced  by  white  men,  have 
made  sad  havoc  with  him.  Christian  mission- 
aries have  despoiled  him  of  his  lands  and  grown 
wealthy  upon  the  ruin  of  his  fortunes.  A  few 
years  ago  it  seemed  certain  that  the  native  race 
of  Hawaii  would  soon  become  extinct.  But  owing 
to  the  patriotic  and  noble  exertions  of  the  present 
chief  adviser  of  the  king,  an  American,  named 
Walter  Murray  Gibson,  the  decline  of  the  native 
people  has  been  stayed.  The  dreadful  scourge  of 


78  MEMOIRS   OP   MY    DAY. 

leprosy  still  prevails  among  them,  but  the  govern- 
ment is  doing  all  in  its  power  to  eradicate  the 
dark  disorder. 

The  Kanaka  of  to-day  is  hospitable  in  the 
extreme.  His  original  nature  seems  to  have 
been  generous  to  a  fault.  Cunning  Christian 
missionaries,  at  an  early  day,  took  advantage  of 
this  noble  trait  to  fleece  and  destroy  him.  Of 
late  years,  however,  the  Kanakas  have  learned 
by  bitter  experience  to  be  more  reserved  and 
cautious.  They  have  also  proved  themselves 
capable  of  mastering  the  arts  of  civilization,  and 
many  of  trie  younger  generation  are  tolerably 
well  educated  and  measurably  refined.  They  are 
natural  musicians,  and  readily  acquire  the  ability 
to  write  an  elegant  hand.  Those  who  live  in  the 
city  of  Honolulu  have  adopted  largely  the  better 
habits  of  the  white  men,  and  live  very  much  the 
same  as  white  people  do,  although  they  are 
still  fond  and  even  proud  of  many  of  their  old 
ways.  They  also  dress  very  much  the  same  as 
their  Anglo-Saxon  peers  do.  The  women  are 
very  fond  of  flowers,  which  they  wear  in  wreaths 
about  their  necks  and  hats.  Even  the  men  are 
often  decorated  with  these  wreaths  on  gala 
occasions,  and  all  are  particularly  graceful  in  the 
manner  of  movement  and  naturally  fond  of 


MEMOIRS  OF  MY  DAY.  79 

music,  dancing  and  all  the  gay  festivities  known 
to  society.  Of  course  we  are  speaking  of  the 
better  class  of  Hawaiians  now.  The  poorer  and 
more  backward  masses  are  not  less  fond  of  music 
and  gaiety,  but  they  are  necessarily  less  accom- 
plished and  less  prepossessing  in  appearance. 

In  Honolulu  there  is  a  considerable  number 
of  Europeans  and  Americans.  These  are  chiefly 
engaged  in  mercantile,  manufacturing  and 
mechanical  pursuits.  There  is  not,  to  our  knowl- 
edge, a  Kanaka  merchant  in  all  the  Sandwich 
Islands.  The  commerce  of  the  kingdom  is  in 
the  hands  of  foreigners  almost  altogether,  and 
the  chief  taxpayers  of  the  Islands  are  also 
foreigners.  Among  the  wealthy  foreign  residents 
are  several  Chinese  gentlemen  who  carry  on  an 
extensive  business  in  various  lines.  One  of  these 
Chinese  men  of  wealth  is  a  central  figure  in  the 
leading  society  of  Honolulu.  His  name  is  Ah 
Fong.  Everybody  in  the  Hawaiian  kingdom 
knows  of  this  rather  distinguished  Celestial.  Ah 
Fong  is  a  typical  Chinaman.  He  wears  a  cue 
and  dresses  after  the  fashion  of  his  countrymen. 
He  lives  in  an  elegant  residence,  surrounded  by 
flowers  and  rare  tropical  shrubs,  trees  and  vines, 
on  Nuuanu  Avenue,  one  of  the  most  fashionable 
quarters  of  the  city.  He  employes  white  men 


80  MEMOIRS    OF    MY   DAY. 

for  cooks  and  coachmen,  keeps  up  a  very  princely 
establishment,  and  he  is  worth  many  millions  of 
dollars.  He  has  an  interesting  family,  too.  His 
wife  is  a  half-white  native  woman.  She  has 
borne  him  many  children,  who  are  mostly 
grown  up  now.  His  only  son  was  educated  at 
Harvard  University,  in  the  United  States.  He  is 
larger  than  his  father,  taller,  darker  and  stronger. 
And  a  more  able  business  man  or  a  better  behaved 
young  gentleman  it  would  be  hard  to  find.  His 
sisters  are  more  delicate  and  by  no  means  bad 
looking.  They  dress  in  the  latest  Parisian  fashion, 
regardless  of  expense.  Several  of  them  are  grown 
up,  and  they  circulate  in  the  best  society.  Only 
one  of  them  has  ever  been  married,  and  her 
Anglo-Saxon  husband  proved  the  superior  deprav- 
ity of  his  race  forthwith.  It  was  a  sorry  story. 
She  was  Ah  Fong's  eldest  daughter,  handsome 
and  polished.  A  book-keeper  came  from  the 
United  States,  and  at  a  large  salary  was  employed 
by  one  of  the  leading  business  houses  of  Hono- 
lulu. He  soon  obtained  admittance  into  the  most 
exclusive  and  aristocratic  circles  of  society.  His 
talents  secured  him  many  friends.  He  diligently 
wooed  and  won  the  daughter  of  the  Chinese 
millionaire.  The  Celestial  father  was  very  proud 
of  the  match.  The  marriage  ceremony  was  per- 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  81 

formed  with  much  pomp  and  solemnity  in  a 
leading  Christian  church,  but  when  the  service 
was  over  the  bridegroom  hurried  his  bride  into 
his  father-in-law's  carriage  and  drove  off  to  his 
bride's  residence,  leaving  her  father  to  walk  or 
get  home  the  best  way  he  could.  The  very  next 
day  the  bridegroom  was  arrested  on  the  very 
grave  charge  of  seducing  a  young  lady  member 
of  one  of  the  most  respectable  white  families  in 
Hawaii.  Forthwith  he  was  imprisoned  on  the 
"Reef,"  but  mysteriously  escaped  and  fled  to 
China.  Nothing  has  ever  been  heard  from  him 
since.  His  wife  eventually  obtained  a  divorce 
from  the  miserable  scamp,  and  Ah  Fong  and  his 
family  have  given  Anglo-Saxon  suitors  a  wide 
berth  ever  since. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Kauai.— Kapaa.— Colonel  R.  Z.  Spanlding.— The   Condition 
of  Laborers  in  Hawaii. 

jFTER  Hemenway  had  debarked  at  Hono- 
lulu from  the  Murray,  he  remained  only  a 
day  or  two  in  the  city  before  proceeding 
to  the  island  of  Kauai,  where  the  mills  and  plan- 


82  MEMOIKS    OF    MY    DAY. 

tations  of  Colonel  R.  Z.  Spaulding  were  located. 
Kauai  is  the  most  northerly  island  of  the  Hawai- 
ian group,  and  it  is  also  the  third  in  point  of  size, 
containing  an  area  of  six  hundred  and  forty 
square  miles.  The  distance  from  Honolulu  to 
Nawiliwili,  the  nearest  port  on  Kauai,  is  some 
eighty  miles,  and  the  journey  was  accomplished 
easily  in  one  night  on  an  inter-island  steamer. 
The  little  port  of  Nawiliwili  presented  a  pictur- 
esque appearance.  Upon  the  left  hand  a  narrow 
range  of  rocky  mountains  comes  down  to  the 
water's  edge.  On  the  right  hand  is  a  barren 
bench,  some  sixty  or  eighty  feet  high,  and  between 
the  mountains  and  the  bench  is  a  low  beach 
sloping  gradually  back  into  a  cosy  little  valley, 
where  a  number  of  native  houses  are  located 
amid  groves  of  cocoa,  banana  and  kindred  tropical 
trees  and  plants.  Colonel  Spaulding's  planta- 
tions of  Kealea  and  Kapaa  are  about  ten  or  fifteen 
miles  north  of  Nawiliwili.  Hemenway  found  it 
impossible  to  obtain  any  kind  of  conveyance  for 
either  love  or  money,  and  leaving  his  baggage  to 
be  brought  around  the  island  in  the  course  of  a 
week  or  so,  on  the  steamer,  he  set  out  on  foot  for 
Kapaa.  In  due  time,  after  a  tedious  and  danger- 
ous journey  over  miserable  roads,,  and  by  wading 
and  swimming  through  several  marshy  bogs,  the 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  83 

indomitable  footman  got  through  without  much 
damage.  Kapaa  is  a  very  small  plantation  vil- 
lage. The  inhabitants  were  nearly  all  employed 
on  the  Kapaa  plantation.  Most  of  them  were 
natives;  some  were  Chinese;  a  few  were  Lunas 
or  overseers — generally  white  men.  At  Kapaa 
landing  were  the  sugar  mills  belonging  to  the 
plantation,  together  with  the  usual  warehouses 
and  one  or  two  little  stores.  The  aspect  of  the 
country  thereabouts  was  rude  and  desolate  in  the 
extreme.  Kealea  was  a  place  a  few  miles  further 
on,  and  very  much  like  Kapaa,  with  other  sugar 
mills  and  their  adjuncts.  Colonel  Spaulding,  the 
proprietor  of  Kealea  plantation  and  the  chiei 
owner  of  Kapaa  plantation,  had  built  him  a  hand- 
some and  commodious  residence,  about  three 
miles  back  from  the  shore  towards  the  centre  of 
the  island,  in  a  beautiful  sheltered  little  valley 
which  he  had  reclaimed  from  a  rude  state  of 
nature.  From  Kapaa  to  this  sequestered  valley 
residence  Mr.  Hemenway  was  conveyed  in  a  light 
wagon.  The  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Spaulding  were 
absent  on  a  visit,  but  Miss  Ange,  a  French- 
American  governess,  and  a  number  of  servants 
received  the  new-comer,  and  domiciled  him  in 
comfortable  quarters.  After  dinner  he  had  time 
to  look  about  and  reconnoiter  his  position.  The 


84  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

Colonel's  residence  was  erected  in  the  centre  of 
a  little  valley  containing  some  forty  or  fifty  acres 
of  rich  land,  with  a  small  stream  of  water  run- 
ning through  it,  and  hills  or  plateaus  surround- 
ing it  on  three  sides.  It  was  a  romantic  place  for 
a  rural  residence,  and  capable  of  being  made  a 
veritable  paradise.  Paved  walks  had  already 
been  laid  out  and  roses  planted.  A  banana  grove 
also  flourished  in  one  corner  of  the  valley,  and 
down  near  the  rivulet  there  was  a  cocoa  grove. 
Barns  and  outhouses  had  been  carefully  erected, 
and  nobody  except  servants  lived  within  a  mile 
or  more  of  the  place. 

In  the  course  of  time  Colonel  Spaulding  and 
his  lady  with  three  small  children  arrived.  The 
Colonel  was  a  thick-set,  stolid  man,  with  a  large 
head,  high  broad  forehead,  cold  gray  eyes,  a  round 
full  face,  light  hair,  and  square  firm  jaws.  He 
rode  about  on  horseback  with  the  air  of  a  dictator, 
and  such  he  virtually  was  in  that  section  of  the 
island.  His  wife  was  a  tall,  rather  stately  woman, 
not  over  thirty  years  of  age,  and  rather  attractive 
in  appearance.  She  had  three  children — two 
girls  and  a  boy — the  eldest  not  over  eight  years 
of  age,  and  the  youngest  but  little  more  than  a 
baby.  They  were  handsome,  delicate  and  intel- 
ligent in  a  marked  degree,  and  their  nurse  and 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY   DAY.  85 

governess  together  kept  them  as  clean  and  sweet 
as  cherubs.  An  accomplished  Chinese  cook  had 
charge  of  the  culinary  department  of  the  house- 
hold, and  a  Chinese  steward  did  the  family  wash- 
ing and  kept  the  large  and  complete  domestic 
establishment  in  neatness  and  order.  The  Colonel 
with  his  family  lived  in  princely  style.  Virtually 
he  was  lord  over  his  broad  acres,  with  no  equals 
to  question  his  authority  or  dispute  his  will. 

Colonel  R.  Z.  Spaulding  was  an  American  by 
birth.  A  few  years  before,  while  yet  a  young 
man,  he  had  occupied  the  position  of  American 
Consul  at  Honolulu.  At  that  time  he  was  poor 
and  unmarried.  He  retired  from  office*  soon. 
He  had  already  made  the  acquaintance  of  his 
wife.  She  was  a  native  of  the  Islands,  and  the 
daughter  of  an  old  white  settler,  and  ex-sea 
captain,  James  McKee,  who  years  before  had 
located  on  the  island  of  Maui,  and  established 
a  romantic  residence  on  the  side  of  the  great 
extinct  crater,  known  as  Haleakala.  At  the 
time  of  his  death,  Captain  James  McKee  pos- 
sessed a  large  property.  When  Colonel  Spaulding 
married  the  Captain's  daughter  a  portion  of  the 
estate  came  under  his  management.  The  Colonel 
proved  himself  a  masterly  financier.  He  was 
soon  worth  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars,  and 


86  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    BAY 

is  perhaps  before  now  a  millionaire.  The  reci- 
procity treaty  between  the  United  States  and 
Hawaii  afforded  him  a  grand  opportunity  to 
make  money  from  the  sugar  industry,  and  he 
improved  his  opportunity  splendidly. 

.One  who  has  always  lived  in  the  United  States, 
where  honest  labor  usually  confers  dignity  rather 
than  social  degradation  and  virtual  serfdom, 
can  scarcely  understand  the  relations  between 
servant  and  master  in  Hawaii.  The  chief  wealth 
of  the  kingdom  is  derived  from  the  cultivation  of 
sugar-cane.  The  sugar  plantations  are  mammoth 
establishments,  owned  by  individual  capitalists 
or  corporations.  The  laborers  who  cultivate  the 
soil  are  rarely  or  never  land  owners.  They  are 
servile  hirelings  in  the  most  absolute  sense  of  the 
word.  Most  of  these  laborers  are  South  Sea 
Islanders,  Portuguese,  Chinese  and  Kanakas  of  a 
low  class.  The  wages  paid  range  from  $3.00  to 
$10.00  per  month,  with  a  sort  of  board.  These 
plantation  laborers  are  hired  on  a  contract  system, 
that,  under  the  laws  of  the  kingdom,  gives  the 
employer  the  power  to  force  the  contracted  em- 
ploye to  perform  service  for  the  specified  length 
of  time.  If  the  hireling  runs  away,  he  can  be 
arrested  and  brought  back,  fined  and  imprisoned, 
or  compelled  to  work  out  the  fine  on  the  planta- 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  87 

tion.  If  he  refuses  to  work,  and  is  well,  his 
master  can  apply  corporeal  goads  to  make  him  do 
his  duty.  This  makes  the  contract  laborer  a 
virtual  serf,  and  to  say  the  truth,  it  would  be 
next  to  impossible  to  cultivate  sugar  on  the 
Sandwich  Islands  with  the  only  labor  available 
there,  without  the  power  which  the  contract  sys- 
tem give3  the  employer;  because  the  common 
laborers  there  are  such  an  unreliable  and  shiftless 
set  naturally. 

The  contract  laborers  work  in  gangs,  on  the 
various  plantations,  under  the  direction  of  bosses 
called  Lunas.  They  are  sheltered  in  a  kind  of 
cheap  barracks,  furnished  them  by  their  employ- 
ers, and  fed  on  the  coarsest  kind  of  food.  The 
Chinese  are  generally  considered  the  best  hands 
for  cane  cultivation,  but  they  demand  the  highest 
wages,  and  lately  hundreds  of  Portuguese  labor- 
ers have  been  imported.  "  Portuguese  men, 
women  and  children,  as  soon  as  the  latter  can 
handle  a  hoe,  are  all  employed  to  labor  in  the 
cane  fields,  and  they  exhibit  a  patience  and 
endurance,  and  humility,  that  is  often  pitiful  to 
bell  old. 


88  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

As  a  Spy.— A.  Christmas  Celebration.— As  Government  In- 
spector of  Roads.  —Native  Habits  and  Costumes. 

|OT  long  after  young  Hemenway  had  been 
installed  on  the  premises  of  Colonel  R.  Z. 
Spaulding,  he  began  to  realize  the  com- 
plex and  doubtful  nature  of  his  task.  In  the 
dual  capacity  of  gardener  for  the  Colonel  and 
secret  service  agent  for  the  government,  he  found 
his  judgment  taxed  to  the  utmost.  A  large  num- 
ber of  Chinamen  were  placed  under  his  command 
to  cultivate,  level  and  lay  out  into  a  landscape 
garden,  the  spacious  grounds  surrounding  the 
Spaulding  mansion.  And  for  from  eight  to  ten 
hours  a  day  he  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost  to 
make  his  men  do  the  greatest  possible  amount  of 
labor  and  to  give  his  auxiliary  employer  ample 
satisfaction.  Although  he  was  not  as  skilful  a 
gardener  as  he  might  have  been,  by  extra  appli- 
cation he  soon  won  the  approbation  of  the  Colo- 
nel and  his  amiable  lady,  under  whose  general 
direction  he  worked.  After  each  day's  hard 
labor  lie  studied  and  wrote  at  night.  One  or  two 
of  his  contributions  appeared  in  the  Honolulu 
Gazette  over  his  own  signature.  These  eventually 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  89 

came  to  the  notice  of  the  Spaulding  family  and 
opened  the  way  to  his  success  as  a  secret  agent. 
It  was  not  long  before  he  discovered  that  the 
Colonel  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of  inciting  a 
rebellion,  but  that  his  motives,  while  hostile  to 
the  then  administration  of  Hawaii,  were  and 
would  be  kept  within  legitimate  bounds.  When 
this  fact  had  been  ascertained  beyond  the  possi- 
bility of  a  doubt,  he  deemed  his  mission  as  a 
secret  agent  at  an  end  He  did  not  relish  the 
position  of  a  spy  in  which  he  was  placed.  Such 
a  position  was  made  especially  embarrassing 
when  he  was  treated  with  such  kindness  and 
good  faith  by  the  v.ery  man  whose  conduct  he 
was  to  observe.  He  therefore  prepared  to  termin- 
ate his  mission. 

In  the  meanwhile  Christmas,  1882,  arrived. 
The  day  was  celebrated  on  the  Spaulding  planta- 
tions in  characteristic  fashion.  A  number  of 
horses  and  mules,  owned  by  the  Colonel  and  his 
various  overseers  or  Lunas,  were  entered  for  a 
series  of  races  on  the  track  at  Kapaa.  All  the 
inhabitants  of  the  plantations  and  many  natives 
from  neighboring  places  gathered  to  witness  the 
sport.  It  was  the  great  annual  event  for  that 
locality.  None  of  the  animals  matched  against 
each  other  on  the  race  track  were  very  fast,  but 


90  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

the  races  were  not  the  less  exciting  and  amusing 
on  that  account.  The  Colonel  furnished  all  the 
purses,  and  was  the  sole  proprietor  of  all  the 
affair.  On  Christmas  evening  the  chief  Lunas 
employed  on  the  Spaulding  plantations  were 
invited  to  assemble  around  a  Christmas  tree,  and 
partake  of  a  Christmas  banquet  at  the  Colonel's 
residence.  This  festival  was  also  a  characteristic 
one.  The  Christmas  tree  was  loaded  down  with 
presents  for  every  invited  guest,  all  purchased  from 
the  Colonel's  money  bags.  A  missionary  preacher 
was  present  to  say  grace,  the  gifts  were  distributed 
in  due  time,  and  then  a  princely  collation  was 
served.  It  was  a  very  happy  household  affair. 
For  once  the  conventional  barriers  of  caste 
between  master  and  servant  were  thrown  down 
to  a  certain  limited  extent,  and  unalloyed  joy 
prevailed..  Although  especially  invited  to  attend 
this  festival,  young  Hemenway  declined  the  hap- 
piness. His  mission  as  a  secret  agent  was  about 
fulfilled  and  he  was  reluctant  to  accept  the  hospi- 
tality of  an  unsuspecting  gentleman  whom  he 
had  under  surveillance.  He  remained  in  his 
room  all  the  evening,  and  packed  his  effects  pre- 
paratory to  departing  for  Honolulu.  The  next 
morning,  before  he  could  notify  the  Colonel  of  his 
intended  course,  Mrs.  Spaulding  tendered  him 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  91 

some  valuable  presents  which  had  been  placed 
upon  the  Christmas  tree  for  him.  This  -was  too 
much  for  the  conscience  of  the  youthful  secret 
agent,  and  he  lost  his  self-possession,  we  fear.  He 
endeavored  to  decline  the  gifts  courteously,  but 
in  doing  so  burst  into  tears.  Mrs.  Spaulding  was 
at  once  offended  and  astonished.  A  few  minutes 
later  the  Colonel  came  in  an  angry  mood,  and 
declared  that  he  would  not  have  a  man  about  his 
premises  who  would  not  accept  his  Christmas 
presents.  This  unexpected  denouement  was 
favorable  to  Mr.  Hemenway's  intentions.  He 
took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  have  his 
contract  as  gardener  cancelled,  and  returned  to 
Honolulu  in  a  day  or  two. 

Four  months  later,  in  the  capacity  of  special 
Governmental  Inspector  of  Roads,  young  Hemen- 
way  returned  to  Kauai,  under  directions  from 
His  Hawaiian  Majesty's  Prime  Minister,  Walter 
Murray  Gibson.  On  this  occasion,  he  traveled 
over  all  the  roads  of  the  island  on  horseback. 
There  are  six  or  seven  sugar  plantations  on 
Kauai.  The  centre  of  the  island  is  mountainous 
and  inaccessible;  the  west  coast  is  abrupt,  high 
and  difficult  to  approach  from  the  ocean.  The 
greater  part  of  the  soil  is  not  adapted  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  sugar-cane.  In  various  parts,  some 


92  MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY. 

rice  is  raised  by  Chinamen,  who  monopolize  the 
rice  industry  of  the  Hawaiian  group.  Sheep  and 
cattle  are  also  raised  with  success,  and  bananas, 
oranges,  and  a  kind  of  apple,  called  ohia,  grow 
spontaneously  in  the  recesses  of  the  mountains. 

The  native  population  of  Kauai  is  inconsider- 
able. Those  Kanakas  who  are  not  employed  on 
plantations,  and  who  own  land  and  homes  of 
their  own,  live  on  taro,  poi,  fish,  and  fruits  that 
grow  with  little  or  no  care.  Taro  is  a  vegetable 
which  usually  grows  in  water,  some  like  rice.  It 
has  a  root  similar  to  that  of  a  turnip  in  shape. 
When  boiled  or  baked,  it  has  a  very  agreeable, 
refreshing  taste.  An  acre  or  two  of  taro  will 
furnish  foofi.  for  a  whole  family,  for  a  whole  year. 
From  taro,  poi  is  manufactured  by  a  simple  pro- 
cess. The  taro  is  cooked,  mashed  up,  and  allowed 
to  foment  in  a  calabash;  then,  after  mixing,  it  is 
poi,  and  about  as  thick  as  the  flour  paste  used  by 
printers.  It  is  of  a  white  color,  and  has  a  tart 
taste.  The  natives  eat  this  every  day,  as  we  eat 
bread.  They  keep  it  in  a  large  calabash,  around 
which  the  whole  family  gather  at  meal-time. 
Each  individual  dips  his  or  her  fingers  in  the  dish, 
gathers  up  a  quantity  of  the  poi,  and  dexterously 
flings  the  paste-like  morsel  into  the  mouth.  In  the 
vicinity  of  all  the  islands  fish  are  very  plentiful. 


MEMOIRS    OF   MY   DAY.  93 

The  natives  are  expert  fishermen  and  splendid 
swimmers.  They  go  out  upon  the  water,  with 
nets,  in  small  boats  made  of  a  single  log,  hollowed 
out  much  like  an  Indian  canoe,  and  often  catch 
large  quantities  of  fish,  with  little  difficulty. 
Generally,  they  prefer  to  eat  the  fish  raw,  although 
sometimes  they  cook  it.  We  are  speaking  now  of 
the  common  class  of  natives,  in  the  rural  districts 
of  Hawaii,  and  not  of  the  more  Anglo-Saxonized 
native  of  Honolulu  and  vicinity. 

In  the  country  districts  the  natives  who  still 
own  land  of  their  own  have  partly  discarded 
their  old  hale  pilis,  or  straw  thatched  houses,  for 
neat  frame  buildings.  But  still  many  Kanakas 
live  in  the  same  sort  of  a  primitive  structure  as 
did  their  forefathers  of  centuries  ago. 

Nearly  all  the  natives  are  good  horsemen,  and 
many  of  them  own  small  herds  of  cattle.  The 
Kanaka  women,  and  for  that  matter  some  of  the 
white  ladies  of  Hawaiian  birth,  ride  on  horseback 
astride,  just  the  same  as  a  man  does,  and  the 
spectacle  of  a  female  thus  mounted  is  rather 
novel  at  first. 


94  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Before  Hon.  Rollin  M.  Daggett.— Editor  of  the  Advertiser. 
— His  Excellency  Walter  Murray  Gibson,  a  Remarkable 
Genius. 

|ARLY  in  January,  1883,  in  very  indifferent 
circumstances,  Charles  W.  Hemenway  found 
himself  a  stranger,  to  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses, in  Honolulu.  The  agent  with  whom  he 
had  signed  an  agreement  to  perform  secret  ser- 
vice had  up  to  that  time  failed  to  remit  accord- 
ing to  contract  stipulations,  although  he  subse- 
quently made  good  all  his  promises.  However, 
Hemenway  was  temporarily  embarrassed  finan- 
cially. He  had  written  some  newspaper  articles, 
and  performed  other  literary  labor  during  his 
leisure  hours  on  Kauai,  but  some  of  his  manu- 
script had  been  taken  from  him  by  alleged  police- 
men just  before  he  had  departed  from  that  island. 
He  determined  to  seek  redress  for  this  outrage, 
through  the  American  Minister  at  Honolulu. 
Accordingly  he  presented  himself  at  the  quarters 
of  the  embassy  of  the  United  States,  and  laid 
the  particulars  of  his  grievance  before  the  Hon. 
Rollin  M.  Daggett,  then  Minister  Plenipoten- 
tiary from  this  Republic,  to  the  court  of  His 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  95 

Majesty,  King  Kalakaua.  Everybody  in  Nevada 
and  California  knows  Hon.  Rollin  M.  Daggett. 
Indeed,  he  enjoys  something  of  a  national  reputa- 
tion, not  only  as  a  politician  and  statesman,  but 
also  as  an  orator  and  polished  writer. 

Mr.  Daggett  gave  Hemenway  a  patient  hearing, 
and  took  a  lively  interest  in  his  case.  The  facts 
of  the  seizure  of  tli3  manuscript  were  promptly 
laid  before  the  Hawaiian  Prime  Minister,  who 
did  his  utmost  to  recover  the  property,  but  no 
"trace  of  it  could  be  found.  The  very  day  that 
Mr.  Daggett  laid  the  case  before  the  Hawaiian 
government,  a  distinguished  member  of  the 
Hawaiian  Board  of  Health,  and  also  manager  of 
the  Pacific  Commercial  Advertiser,  the  leading 
daily  paper  of  Honolulu,  owned  by  Premier  W.  M. 
Gibson,  called  on  Mr.  Hemenway  at  the  Hawai- 
ian Hotel  and  invited  him  to  visit  the  office  of 
the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs.  The  young 
American  complied  with  the  request,  and  was 
there  first  introduced  to  the  Premier,  the  famous 
Walter  Murray  Gibson.  With  that  distinguished  ' 
gentleman  Mr.  Hemenway  had  a  private  inter- 
view of  an  hour's  duration.  When  he  left  the 
presence  of  the  Premier,  the  manager  of  the 
Pacific  Commercial  Advertiser  immediately  engaged 
his  services  as  reporter. 


96  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 

Mr.  Gibson  was  a  remarkable  man  in  appear-* 
ance.  He  wore  a  full  beard,  which  was  iron 
gray;  his  forehead  was  high,  capacious,  and  of 
fine  texture;  his  large  head  was  well  covered  with 
partially  gray  hair.  In  his  younger  days  he  had 
evidently  been  tall  and  graceful  in  person,  but 
now  his  shoulders  were  slightly  bent  over,  al- 
though his  step  was  firm  and  elastic,  and  his  eye 
keen,  penetrating  and  fiery.  The  striking  feature 
of  his  face  was  his  nose,  which  was  of  the  Roman 
type,  and  almost  immense  in  its  proportions.  In 
conversation  he  was  a  perfect  courtier.  Every 
word  came  forth  with  grace  and  animation; 
every  gesture  was  polished,  andVvery  expression 
bore  the  impression  of  acute  sagacity  and  a  con- 
summate knowledge  of  human  nature.  Although 
so  well  along  in  years,  at  a  glance  he  seemed  to 
divine  all  the  feelings  and  ambition  of  his  much 
more  youthful  visitor,  and  when  Mr.  Hemenway 
left  his  presence  he  really  felt  as  if  he  was  under 
the  influence  of  enchantment.  Without  having 
ever  met  Mr.  Gibson,  Hemenway  had  written 
some  severe  criticisms  of  his  public  acts  as  a 
Premier,  but  to  these  Mr.  Gibson  never  once 
alluded;  yet  when  Hemenway  left  His  Excel- 
lency's presence,  his  conscience  accused  him  of 
having  been  in  the  wrong  in  his  opposition  to 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  97 

*the  Premier.  Such  is  the  wonderful  effect  of  the 
influence  which  men  of  genius  often  exercise  over 
their  fellow  men. 

For  more  than  seven  months  Hemenway  con- 
tinued in  Mr.  Gibson's  employ.  In  due  time  he 
became  editor  of  the  Advertiser,  which  was  in 
reality  the  organ  of  the  Hawaiian  government, 
and  the  court  journal  of  His  Hawaiian  Majesty, 
the  King.  Occasionally  he  served  Mr.  Gibson  in 
the  capacity  of  private  secretary  or  amanuensis, 
and  this  brought  him  frequently  to  the  Premier's 
residence,  a  substantial  stone  structure  two  stories 
high,  located  just  west  of  the  new  theatre  build- 
ing, across  the  road  from  lolani  Palace,  where  the 
King  dwells.  Under  Mr.  Gibson's  patronage  and 
training,  Hemenway  became  a  pungent  editorial 
writer,  and  advanced  rapidly  towards  a  success, 
valuable  pecuniarily  and  in  the  way  of  experience; 
and  for  the  auspicious  opportunity  of  operating 
in  such  an  instructive  and  remunerative  sphere, 
Mr.  Hemenway  has  to  thank  the  friendly  offices 
of  Hon.  Rollin  M.  Daggett,  a  gentleman  of  many 
virtues,  and  now  an  ex-envoy  of  excellent  reputa- 
tion as  a  diplomat;  an  orator  and  a  literary  master, 
whose  genius  is  unquestionable  and  admired 
by  all  who  have  come  within  the  radius  of  its 
brightness.  But,  though  a  brilliant  man,  Mr. 

8 


98  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

Daggett  was  not  very  handsome  in  person.  When* 
we  first  knew  him  he  was-  a  widower,  dignified 
in  his  demeanor,  social  in  his  habits,  and  without 
many  peers  in  conversation.  He  was  short  in 
statue,  inclined  to  be  a  little  rotund,  and  upon 
his  face,  which  was  clean-shaven,  he  wore  an 
ugly  scar.  His  hair  was  rather  dark  and  be- 
sprinkled with  gray.  Before  His  Excellency  was 
succeeded  by  a  Democratic  appointee  of  President 
Cleveland,  he  married  a  young,  lovely  and  accom- 
plished lady,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  the 
vicinity  of  Seattle,  Washington  Territory,  we 
believe.  He  brought  his  amiable  bride  to  Hono- 
lulu, where  she  was  right  royally  received  and 
entertained. 

The  history  of  Walter  Murray  Gibson's  career 
reads  like  a  romance.  He  is  an  American  by 
birth.  At  an  early  age  he  became  an  adventurer, 
and  with  a  band  of  followers  sailed  out  among 
the  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  in  quest  of 
pleasure,  profit  and  excitement.  As  the  result  of 
an  ambitious  effort  to  establish  a  kingdom,  with 
himself  as  ruler  and  the  natives  as  subjects,  on 
the  island  of  New  Guinea,  he  was  cast  into 
prison  where  he  remained  about  a  year,  and  was 
finally  rescued  by  a  United  States  man-of-war. 
Later,  some  thirty  years  or  more  ago,  he  returned 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  99 

to  the  United  States  and  visited  Utah.  While  in 
this  Territory  he  joined  the  Mormon  Church,  and 
was  duly  commissioned  by  President  Brigham 
Young  as  a  missionary  to  the  South  Sea  Islands. 
He  then  proceeded  to  Hawaii,  and  at  first  met 
with  remarkable  success  in  introducing  the  Gos- 
pel, but  eventually  he  apostatized,  and  several 
brethren  were  sent  to  depose  him.  He  was 
cut  off  from  the  Church,  and  until  some  five  or 
six  years  ago  he  lived  a  comparatively  retired 
and  studious  life,  mastering  the  Chinese,  the 
Japanese  and  other  languages.  Then  suddenly 
he  emerged  from  his  hermitage  on  the  island  of 
Lanai,  which  he  owns,  and  offered  himself  as  a 
candidate  for  the  National  Hawaiian  Legislature. 
The  idea  of  his  success  in  obtaining  an  election 
was  not  entertained  at  all,  but  he  was  not  dis-" 
couraged.  He  was  a  perfect  master  of  the  Hawai- 
ian language,  and  he  went  among  the  native 
voters  of  Honolulu  district  and  talked  to  them. 
The  strength  of  his  eloquence — for  it  is  admitted 
he  used  no  money  to  promote  his  chances — may 
be  conjecture  from  the  fact  that  he  was  elected  by 
an  overwhelming  majority.  At  once  all  eyes 
were  turned  upon  Mr.  Gibson.  The  organs  of 
the  Christian  Missionary  party,  as  it  was  called, 
assailed  him  with  outrageous  venom,  yet  he  not 


100  MEMOIRS    OF    MY   DAY. 

only  lived  through  the  ordeal  but  actually  con- 
tinued to  gather  strength  and  popularity.  He 
became  proprietor  of  the  Pacific  Commercial  Ad- 
vertiser, and  at  once  proved  himself  a  masterly 
editor,  overflowing  with  sentiments  which  manu- 
factured public  opinion.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Hawaiian  Legislature  when  the  notorious 
Don  Caesar  Celso  Moreno,  a  brilliant  but  un- 
scrupulous adventurer,  succeeded  in  making  him- 
self Prime  Minister  of  Hawaii,  a  position  which 
he  held  for  a  month  or  so,  and  then  resigned, 
and  fled  in  disguise  from  the  kingdom,  to  escape 
the  wrath  of  the  people.  Soon  after  Mr.  Gibson 
became  Prime  Minister  of  the  realm,  a  position 
which  he  has  filled  with  great  ability,  and  which 
he  still  holds.  His  whole  soul  has  been  heartily 
devoted  to  the  good  of  the  Hawaiians  and  their 
perpetuity  as  a  nation.  As  Premier  he  has 
labored  diligently  and  sucessfully  for  the  aggrand- 
izement of  the  Hawaiian  sovereign  and  kingdom. 
The  glorious  dream  of  his  youth  was  the  forma- 
tion of  a  great  island  confederation  in  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  and  to-day,  under  the  patronage  of  King 
Kalakaua,  he  is  carrying  that  grand  plan  into 
effect.  Should  his  life  be  spared  a  few  years  more, 
through  his  exertions  Hawaii  will  be  the  head 
of  a  vast  Pacific  Ocean  Island  realm  that  will  in 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  101 

time  be  a  power  among  the  great  nations  of  the 
earth,  and  Walter  Murray  Gibson  will  go  down 
to  history  as  one  of  the  greatest  statesmen  of  the 
age.  In  Hawaiian  annals  his  name  will  be 
coupled  with  that  of  the  native  conqueror, 
Kamehameha,  the  great,  who  first  united  all 
the  islands  of  the  Hawaiian  group  under  one 
government.  Endowed  with  great  talents  and 
inspired  with  lofty  ambition,  Walter  Murray 
Gibson  has  made  many  grievous  blunders,  but 
he  has  profitted  by  disastrous  experience,  re- 
trieved his  errors  as  well  as  possible,  and  ever 
since  he  has  been  in  power  in  Hawaii  he  has 
befriended  the  native  Mormons  who  dwell  there, 
although  they  are  despised  and  abused  by  the 
world. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

Exceptional  Opportunities. — Tolani  Palace. — His  Majesty 
King  Kalakaua  and  Queen  Kapiolani. — Punchbowl. — 
Laie,  the  Mormon  Plantation. 

E  position  of  reporter,  and  then  the  editor- 
ship of  the  official  newspaper  organ  of  the 
Hawaiian  government,  gave  Mr.  Hemen- 
way  exceptional  opportunities,  which  he  diligently 


102  MEMOIRS    OF   MY    DAY. 

improved.  He  had  access  to  lolani  Palace,  the 
large  and  elegant  residence  of  King  Kalakaua. 
He  met  His  Majesty  and  Queen  Kapiolani.  He 
obtained  admission,  in  his  reportorial  capacity,  to 
court  society,  and  formed  an  acquaintance  with 
the  chief  officials  of  the  realm.  In  earty  days  the 
Hawaiian  kings  did  not  preserve  much  dignity, 
and  they  lived  in  the  rude  style  of  semi-civilized 
chieftains.  But  King  Kalakaua,  though  a  native 
with  dark  skin,  is  an  accomplished,  intelligent 
and  scholarly  sovereign,  and  he  has  placed  him- 
self in  a  position  resembling  that  in  which  the 
monarchs  of  Europe  live.  He  occupies  the 
throne  with  dignity;  his  household  is  elaborately 
constituted  after  the  fashion  of  royal  European 
households,  and  in  every  external  aspect  he  is 
kingly  and  august.  Around  him  he  has  gath- 
ered the  most  elegant,  polished  and  accomplished 
men  and  women  of  his  kingdom.  Foreign  repre- 
sentatives of  all  the  great  nations  of  the  world, 
and  their  families;  distinguished  foreign  visitors, 
rich  and  refined  residents  of  Honolulu,  both 
native  and  naturalized,  and  all  the  wit  and 
beauty  and  chivalry  of  the  Islands,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  hostile  men  who  have  been 
rancorously  opposed  to  His  Majesty's  policy,  were 
gathered  around  the  Hawaiian  throne,  and  con- 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  108 

stituted  a  court  society  which  was  really  brilliant 
and  measurably  magnificent.  Among  such 
people,  under  the  daily  guidance  of  the  expe- 
rienced and  courtly  Prime  Minister,W.  M.  Gibson, 
Charles  W.  Hemenway  took  some  primary  les- 
sons in  the  art  of  a  courtier,  while  he  was  daily 
polishing  his  pen  and  acquiring  a  knowledge  of 
the  world,  mankind,  and  that  sort  of  statesman- 
ship of  which  his  patron,  Mr.  Gibson,  was  the 
perfect  embodiment.  To  the  young  American  it 
seemed  a  school  in  which  few  men  are  privileged  to 
study;  and  it  afforded  a  kind  of  instruction  that 
is  very  valuable  to  a  young  man  who  has  to 
make  his  own  way  through  life. 

The  best  of  Honolulu  society  is  very  exclusive, 
and  on  a  par  with  the  best  society  anywhere  in 
the  world.  Nowhere  on  earth  do  ladies  dress 
better,  richer,  or  in  more  exquisite  taste  than 
among  the  more  refined  and  wealthy  classes  of 
the  Hawaiian  capital.  Nowhere  on  the  footstool 
of  God  is  life  more  gay,  happy  and  gorgeous. 
The  perennial  climate  of  ever-blooming  roses, 
bright  skies  and  tropical  magnificence,  tempered 
by  the  vast  environment  of  a  tranquil  ocean, 
ought  to  be  favorable  to  human  happiness,  and 
so  it  is.  But  these  are  not  the  only  attractions  of 
Honolulu.  Back  of  the  city  rise  abruptly  to  a 


104  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

considerable  height  a  picturesque  mountain 
range,  in  the  foreground  of  which  is  a  novel 
promontory,  called  Punchbowl,  on  the  top  of 
which  a  few  rusty  old  cannon  slumber  in  the 
ruins  of  what  may  have  been  once  considered  a 
fort.  Punchbowl  is  an  extinct  volcanic  crater, 
the  like  of  which  are  very  numerous  in  Hawaii. 
Along  the  beach,  a  few  i0iles  east  of  Honolulu, 
is  a  lovely  watering  place  or  spa,  called  Waikiki, 
where  the  King  and  many  wealthy  merchants 
have  lovely  suburban  residences.  A  little  farther 
east  still  and  Diamond  Point,  another  rocky  vol- 
canic cone,  rises  from  the  verge  of  the  ocean,  and 
there  are  caves  and  grottos  laved  by  the  waves, 
and  beautifully  decorated  by  nature.  Near  Wai- 
kiki are  parks  of  cocoa  trees  and  palms,  and  also 
a  race-course;  here  and  there  are  quaint  old 
native  homes,  embowered  in  marvelous  verdure, 
and  numerous,  indeed,  are  tho  beauties  of  nature 
and  scenery  on  every  hand. 

Within  the  city  of  Honolulu  there  are  also  many 
things  which  draw  out  the  curiosity  or  secure  the 
admiration  of  the  traveler.  The  royal  palace  is 
a  noble  structure,  built  of  stone,  and  some  three 
stories  high.  With  its  surrounding  grounds  it 
occupies  a  whole  square  in  the  heart  of  the  city, 
which  is  enclosed  by  a  thick  stone  wall  over 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  105 

seven  feet  high.  Facing  the  palace  to  the  south 
is  Aliiolani  Hale,  a  neat,  large,  two-story  build- 
ing, also  environed  by  spacious  and  beautiful 
grounds.  Aliiolani  Hale  is  the  capitol  building, 
where  all  the  chief  offices  of  state  are  located. 
In  front  of  it  stands  the  heroic  bronze  statue  of 
Kamehameha  the  great,  the  Washington  of 
Hawaii,  who  flourish^ over  a  hundred  years  ago. 
All  around  tropical  trees,  artistically  arranged,  and 
various  shrubbery  flourish;  and  the  place  is  beau- 
tiful withal. 

To  the  north  of  Honolulu  a  road  leads  between 
a  pass  through  the  mountains,  across  the  island. 
On  this  somewhat  steep  road,  about  six  miles 
from  the  harbor,  the  summit  of  the  pass  is  reached 
amid  grand  scenery.  The  descent  to  the  north 
side  of  the  island  is  very  abrupt.  On  their 
northern  flank  the  mountains  abruptly  terminate 
in  a  perpendicular  wall  several  hundreds  of  feet 
high.  A  steep  and  narrow  path,  worn  and  cut  in 
this  rocky  facade  affords  a  passage  for  pedestrians 
and  horses,  but  not  for  carriages,  from  Honolulu 
to  the  north  side  of  Oahu.  Standing  at  the  top 
of  this  passage-way,  the  eye  can  scan  the  line  of 
the  island's  northern  shore  for  miles  both  east 
and  west,  and  the  view  is  unique  and  grand,  as 
the  ocean,  six  miles  distant  at  the  nearest  point, 


106  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

fringes  the  varied  and  glorious  scenery  of  the 
land  with  an  interminable  vista  of  ethereal  blue. 
As  the  imprisoned  writer  sits  in  his  cell  penning 
these  thoughts,  a  vivid  recollection  of  his  emotions 
when  he  first  surveyed  this  scene,  in  1883,  comes 
back  to  him,  and  suggests  the  impossibility  of  an 
adequate  pen  picture.  Again,  in  memory,  he 
rides  his  horse  down  UML  precipitous  descent 
which  the  natives  call  the  Pali.  Again  he  bounds 
over  the  undulating  lower  lands  which  are  clad 
in  a  vestment  of  verdure,  enfiladed  by  a  gigantic 
perpendicular  wall  topped  by  mountain  summits 
on  the  one  hand,  and  washed  by  the  waves  on 
the  other  side.  Again  he  reaches  the  northern 
shore  of  Oahu  and  rides  from  plantation  to  plan- 
tation, from  rice  field  to  rice  field,  and  from 
native  villages  to  the  residences  of  richer  white 
men.  All  day  he  spurs  his  horse  over  the 
island  to  the  westward.  Every  mile  of  his  pro- 
gress unfolds  new  and  striking  aspects  of  nature 
to  his  eye.  In  front  of  him  stands  a  great 
mountain  promontory,  which  has  broken  out 
from  the  great  stone  facade  of  the  mountains  in 
the  middle  of  the  island  and  approaches  the 
northern  coast.  Eventually  he  winds  around  the 
steep  base  of  this  grand  sentinel  and  a  new  and 
more  wide  and  desolate  scene  opens  to  the'view. 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY   DAY.  107 

Native  settlements  are  fewer  here,  and  there  is  no 
plantation  for  miles.  At  length  on  the  north- 
west end  of  Oahu  the  rider  reaches  Laie,  a  con- 
siderable settlement  owned  and  occupied  by  the 
Mormons. 

When  we  visited  this  quiet  place  Elder  Par- 
tridge was  in  charge.  There  were  a  number 
of  acres  of  sugar-cane  almost  ready  to  cut  and 
a  mill  on  the  plantation  was  provided  with 
the  machinery  for  manufacturing  sugar.  Laie 
embraces  a  large  section  of  land  that  might  be 
profitably  utilized  for  cane-growing  if  it  was  not 
for  a  scarcity  of  water  for  irrigating  purposes.  A 
large  number  of  natives  of  the  Mormon  faith 
lived  on  the  plantation,  which  also  embraces  some 
fine  rice  lands  that  were  leased  by  Chinamen. 
A  large  artesian  well  had  then  lately  been  sunk 
on  the  premises,  which  went  a  great  way  toward 
irrigating  some  of  the  rice  and  taro  lands.  We 
met  Elder  Partridge  in  the  new  meeting  house 
which  he  was  just  completing  on  the  premises, 
and  for  part  of  a  day  we  were  his  guests.  He 
lived  upon  a  low  bench,  in  an  old  frame  house 
comfortably  furnished  and  located  half  a  mile  or 
so  from  the  ocean  shore.  Soon  after  our  visit  the 
new  church  was  dedicated  with  much  solemnity, 
and  His  Majesty,  the  King,  was  present  on  the 


108  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

occasion,  by  the  advice  of  his  Prime  Minister,  Mr. 
Gibson.  By  the  expenditure  of  a  few  thousand 
dollars,  Laie  might  be  made  one  of  the  most 
pleasant  spots  on  the  island'.  As  it  is  there  is  an 
air  of  barrenness  about  it,  but  the  natives  who 
live  there  were  well  taken  care  of  and  happy. 
A  few  miles  east  of  the  plantation  there  are 
several  other  Mormon  native  settlements,  and 
there  must  be  more  than  a  thousand  Mormon 
natives  in  that  locality.  They  live  a  quiet,  easy 
life,  hetp  to  cultivate  the  plantation  lands,  from 
the  products  of  which  many  of  them  are  fed, 
and  also  engage  in  fishing  frequently. 

The  route  around  Oahu,  from  Laie  along  the 
western  end  of  the  island,  south  to  the  southern 
shore,  and  thence  back  to  Honolulu,  is  more  or 
less  rough.  Immediately  wrest  of  Laie  is  a  tract 
of  sand  hills,  and  then  the  low  ground  between 
the  mountains  and  the  shore  for  miles  is  inhab- 
ited only  by  a  few  natives,  with  here  and  there  the 
residence  of  a  white  settler,  engaged  in  the  cattle 
business,  which  is  quite  profitable  here.  On  the 
southwest  side  of  the  island  there  are  two  large 
sugar  plantations  near  the  shore,  and  between 
them  and  the  mountains,  extending  towards 
Honolulu,  is  a  plateau  which  is  only  available 
for  grazing  purposes.  No  person  should  visit  the 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  109 

Hawaiian  islands  without  making  the  round  of 
Oahu,  at  least,  on  horseback.  A  good  horse  will 
accomplish  the  journey  easily  in  two  days,  and 
the  people,  both  native  and  foreign,  are  hospitable 
and  accommodating. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

Coronation  of  King  Kalakaua. — Among  would-be  Revolu- 
tionists.—Speech-making  for  his  Life.— A  Suicide. 

|URING  the  earlier  months  of  Mr.  Hemen- 
way's  residence  in  Honolulu,  the  corona- 
tion of  King  Kalakaua  took  place.  His 
Majesty  had  been  elevated  to  the  kingly  office 
some  years  before,  but  the  customary  ceremonial 
of  a  coronation  had  not  taken  place.  Eventually 
however,  the  Legislature  appropriated  some 
$10,000  for  the  expenses  of  a  proper  coronation 
ceremony,  which  took  place  in  February,  1883. 
As  court  reporter,  Mr.  Hemenway  wrote  an  elab- 
orate account  of  this  rather  happy  and  grand 
event,  which  originally  appeared  in  the  Pacific 
Commercial  Advertiser  and  which  was  afterwards 
printed  in  neat  pamphlet  form  together  with 
some  introductory  matter  dictated  to  the  reporter 


110  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

by  His  Excellency,  Mr.  Gibson.  At  the  time  the 
coronation  took  place  some  of  the  journals  of  the 
United  States  were  inclined  to  ridicule  the  affair, 
but  from  all  we  can  glean  from  accounts  of 
similar  events  in  the  old  world,  the  coronation 
ceremonies  and  festivities  of  his  Hawaiian 
Majesty  were  in  full  accord  with  the  usages  and 
the  pomp  of  such  occasions,  and  fully  in  keeping 
with  the  spirit  and  style  of  the  coronations  of  the 
most  powerful  European  potentates.  Of  course  it 
was  not  such  an  expensive  or  elaborate  and  mag- 
nificent display  as  that  which  might  be  made  in 
honor  of  the  coronation  of  a  Russian  Czar,  or  a 
King  of  England,  but  it  was  a  brilliant  consum- 
mation for  Hawaii.  War  vessels  and  embassies 
of  Great  Britain,  the  United  States,  France,  Japan 
and  numbers  of  the  greatest  nations  of  the  earth 
came  to  pay  homage  to  the  Hawaiian  King,  and 
were  at  Honolulu  when  the  great  event  took 
place.  The  dawn  of  the  coronation  day  was 
ushered  in  with  salvos  of  artillery;  later  in  the 
day.  an  immense  procession  formed  and  marched 
to  the  grounds  of  lolani  Palace,  where  a  gigan- 
tic amphitheatre  had  been  erected  to  accom- 
modate spectators;-  the  ceremony  of  crowning  the 
sovereign  then  took  place,  in  the  presence  of  the 
assembled  multitude,  the  royal  family  and  the 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  Ill 

notables  of  the  kingdom.  The  crown  was  placed 
upon  His  Majesty's  brow  by  Chief  Justice  Judd, 
and  the  peculiar  royal  robe  of  feathers,  an  old 
Hawaiian  emblem  of  royalty,  was  buckled  upon 
his  shoulders.  The  Queen,  Kapiolani,  was  simi- 
larly invested  with  the  insignia  of  sovereignty. 
The  Royal  Hawaiian  Band,  than  which  there  is 
no  better  in  the  world,  perhaps,  discoursed  its 
choicest  strains  at  appropriate  intervals,  and 
nothing  was  wanting  to  make  the  event  a  success 
in  its  way.  In  the  evening,  the  palace  grounds 
were  thrown  open;  the  crest  of  Punchbowl  and 
the  neighboring  mountains  were  illuminated  with 
fireworks,  which  were  also  exploded  on  the  prem- 
ises of  the  palace  until  away  after  midnight.  At 
the  same  time  invited  guests  from  abroad,  the 
representatives  of  foreign  governments  in  Hono- 
lulu, and  the  rank,  wealth,  beauty  and  chivalry 
of  the  whole  kingdom  joined  in  a  ball  in  the 
magnificent  halls  of  the  palace,  while  on  the 
grounds  native  hula  hula  dancers,  in  their  peculiar 
costumes,  performed  for  the  amusement  of  the 
multitude  assembled  around  the  royal  residence, 
where  night  was  turned  into  a  wierd  dream  by 
oriental  illuminations.  It  was  an  occasion  which 
can  never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  witnessed  it 
as  the  writer  did. 


112  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

The  event  of  the  coronation  did  not  please  all 
of  the  residents  of  Honolulu.  In  that  city  there 
are  always  a  large  number  of  nondescript  white 
men,  of  indifferent  characters,  who  drive  coaches, 
perform  skilled  labor  and  "rustle"  for  a  liveli- 
hood. A  few  of  the  more  intelligent  and  ambitious 
of  this  class  conceived  the  idea  of  overthrow- 
ing the  native  King  and  putting  a  white  man  in 
Kalakaua's  place.  An  old  American  gentleman, 
who  had  lived  on  the  Islands  upwards  of  thirty 
years,  and  who  had  conceived  an  unconquerable 
hate  for  the  Kanakas  generally,  was  at  the  head  of 
this  movement.  He  kept  a  sort  of  a  public  house 
which  was  the  rendezvous  of  common  laborers, 
and  there  the  conspiracy  was  partly  hatched. 
The  movement  seemed  to  fascinate  those  to  whom 
it  was  proposed,  and  in  less  than  a  month  the 
cause  had  over  five  hundred  adherents,  nearly  all 
of  whom  were  ready  to  shoulder  a  musket  and 
march  on  the  palace.  As  Kalakaua  had  only  a 
handful  of  soldiers,  of  course  he  could  not  have 
defended  himself,  nor  could  a  white  man  have 
been  placed  upon  the  throne,  for  the  reason  that 
some  foreign  nation  would  have  been  sure  to  have 
interfered  in  behalf  of  the  hereditary  ruler.  But 
this  did  not  deter  the  revolutionists.  Under  the 
guise  of  forming  a  labor  society,  they  finally  held 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  113 

a  great  mass  meeting  at  the  Hawaiian  Hotel. 
Just  before  this  occurred,  Hemenway  was  let  into 
the  secret  of  the  affair,  and  promptly  conveyed 
the  intelligence  to  Mr.  Gibson,  for  the  plan  was  to 
assassinate  the  Premier.  Mr.  Gibson  instructed 
him  to  attend  the  meeting  and  participate.  He 
did  so,  and  was  elected  secretary.  In  the  course 
of  the  evening  he  made  a  speech.  A  temporary 
organization  was  effected,  with  Hemenway  still  in 
the  position  of  secretary.  The  next  night  the 
leaders  of  the  conspiracy  invited  him  to  meet 
them  in  secret  conclave.  In  the  meanwhile  he 
was  duly  commissioned  a  secret  agent  of  the 
government,  by  Mr.  Gibson,  and  under  his  in- 
structions took  down  a  brief  sketch  of  the  plans 
which  the  leading  revolutionists  unfolded  to  him. 
He  tried  to  dissuade  them  from  such  a  bloody 
undertaking,  but  they  had  become  infatuated, 
and  only  accused  him  of  being  afraid.  With  the 
names  of  the  conspirators  all  in  hand,  and  a  full 
knowledge  of  all  their  schemes,  he  withdrew  from 
them  and  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Gibson  took 
measures  to  dissolve  the  traitorous  organization. 
This  was  accomplished  very  quickly  and  very 
quietly.  A  number  of  the  ringleaders  of  the 
proposed  revolt  were  informed  privately  that  a 
full  knowledge  of  their  schemes  was  in  the 

9 


114  MEMOIRS    OF   MY   DAY. 

hands  of  the  government,  and  unless  they  left  the 
city  they  would  be  punished.  This  was  all  that 
was  necessary.  The  whole  business  was  instantly 
broken  up.  Some  oi  the  leading  conspirators 
were  not  satisfied,  however,  and  they  invited 
Hemenway  to  meet  them  at  Brewer's  Hall.  He 
received  the  summons  late  one  night,  while  read- 
ing the  last  proofs  for  the  morning's  issue  of  the 
Advertiser ^  and  immediately  he  repaired  to  the 
hall.  On  the  way  there,  a  big  negro  pounced 
upon  him  with  a  knife,  and  threatened  to  launch 
him  into  eternity,  but  the  would-be  assassin  was 
held  back  by  companions.  At  the  hall,  Mr. 
Hemenway  faced  the  exasperated  revolutionists, 
and  in  reply  to  their  accusations  of  treachery, 
and  to  allay  a  burning  spirit  of  fury,  he  was 
compelled  to  make  another  speech,  in  which  he 
boldly  acknowledged  his  action,  and  then  de- 
fended it  with  such  success  that  the  majority 
were  convinced  that  he  had  acted  with  a  true 
regard  not  only  for  humanity  but  also  for  their 
own  particular  interests,  safety  and  welfare. 
The  effort  which  that  address  cost  the  young 
man  was  such  that  he  could  not  have  made  it, 
had  he  not  felt  that  his  life  depended  upon  the 
impression  he  could  make  with  language,  his 
only  weapon  of  defense.  Under  a  strain  of  ex- 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY   DAY.  115 

citement  that  can  be  better  imagined  than 
described,  ,he  left  Brewer's  Hall  that  night,  and 
proceeded  at  once  to  Mr.  Gibson's  residence,  and 
reported  the  matter  to  him.  His  Excellency 
seemed  rather  pleased  with  the  news;  he  declared 
that  the  revolutionary  movement  was  finally 
baffled,  and  congratulated  his  servant. 

The  next  day  Mr.  Hemenway  was  despatched 
on  a  special  mission  to  the  islands  of  Maui  and 
Hawaii.  He  left  in  the  afternoon  on  a  little 
inter-island  steamer.  Among  the  passengers  on 
board  was  the  wife  of  Doctor  Agnew,  a  gentleman 
who  had  settled  in  Honolulu  a  few  years  before, 
and  accumulated  a  handsome  fortune.  That 
very  day,  in  the  morning,  Mrs.  Agnew  had 
arrived  from  Australia,  where  her  husband  had 
left  her  some  years  before,  but  the  Doctor  not  only 
neglected  to  receive  her  affectionately,  but  he 
declined  to  recognize  her.  It  was  understood 
that  she  had  been  unfaithful  to  him  once,  and 
also  acquired  a  habit  of  drinking.  The  woman 
remained  in  Honolulu  during  the  day,  because 
there  was  no  way  to  leave,  and,  with  perfect  com- 
posure, boarded  the  little  island  steamer  in  the 
evening.  When  the  vessel  had  got  out  beyond 
Diamond  Point,  just  after  sundown,  Mr^.  Agnew 
went  below  into  the  cabin,  and  brought  a  bottle 


116  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

of  wine  on  deck,  from  her  valise.  She  drank  all 
of  the  contents,  sat  down  on  the  taffrail  a 
moment,  arranged  the  folds  of  her  rich,  white, 
silk  dress,  and  then  suddenly,  and  without  a 
word  of  warning,  sprang  overboard.  The  sea 
was  rough,  and  although  the  steamer  was  stopped 
at  once  and  boats  lowered,  she  was  never  seen 
again.  It  is  probable  that  she  was  drawn  into 
the  screw  propeller,  and  killed  in  an  instant;  and 
then  the  sharks,  which  are  numerous  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Islands,  probably  devoured  her 
remains. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

Maui  and  Hawaii. — Glaus  Spreckels  and  Spreckelsville. — 
Haleakala.— Kilauea. — The  Legend  of  the  Beautiful 
Hawaiian  Princess. 

fHE  islands  of  Maui  and  Hawaii  lie  in  a 
southeasterly  direction  from  Honolulu. 
The  island  of  Hawaii  is,  by  great  odds, 
the  largest  in  all  the  Sandwich  group;  it  gives 
its  name  to  the  whole  archipelago;  for  among  the 
residents  of  the  Kanaka  kingdom  the  appellation 
"Sandwich"  is  never  used,  but  instead  thereof 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  117 

"Hawaiian77  is  substituted  as  the  general  name  of 
the  entire  realm.  Maui  is  the  second  largest  of 
these  islands.  By  sea  it  is  something  like  one 
hundred  miles  from  Honolulu  to  Lahaina,  the 
first  landing  place  and  settlement  on  Maui,  where 
the  steamer  from  the  capital  city  touches  to  land 
passengers  and  freight.  The  sun  was.  just  rising 
in  unclouded  splendor  back  of  the  mountains 
east  of  Lahaina  when  our  little  steamer  hove  to 
and  lowered  boats  to  land  passengers  at  this  place. 
The  scene  was  a  beautiful  one.  On  one  side  were 
the  mountains  of  Molokai  and  Maui,  and  on  the 
other  side,  at  some  distance,  was  the  low  coast  of 
Lanai,  a  small  island  owned  by  His  Excellency 
W.  M.  Gibson,  and  chiefly  devoted  to  grazing  of 
sheep  and  cattle.  Over  the  whole  vista  of  ocean, 
land  and  mountain,  the  sun  threw  his  golden 
beams  with  almost  magic  effect. 

Mr.  Hemenway  did  not  land  at  Lahaina,  but 
he  proceeded  further  on  to  about  the  centre  of 
the  southern  coast  of  Maui  and  there  debarked, 
took  a  conveyance  and  rode  across  the  island  to 
Wailuku  and  Spreckelsville.  Very  lofty  mountains 
occupy  both  the  northwest  and  southeast  ends  of 
Maui,  but  the  middle  of  the  island  is  a  low  table- 
land, and  the  ride  from  the  south  side  of  the 
island  to  Wailuku  bay  and  plantation  on  the 


118  MEMOIRS    OP    MY    DAY 

north  side  of  the  island  may  be  readily  accom- 
plished over  excellent  roads  in  an  hour  or  so. 
From  Wailuku  harbor  Glaus  Spreckels  and  his 
brothers  have  constructed  a  narrow  gauge  rail- 
way to  their  vast  sugar  mills  at  Spreckelsville, 
some  ten  or  twelve  miles  distant.  The  great 
German-American  capitalist,  Glaus  Spreckels,  has 
done  more  for  the  Hawaiian  islands  in  the  way  of 
developing  her  sugar  resources  and  commercial 
capabilities  than  any  other  living  man.  Owing 
to  his  gigantic  enterprise,  thousands  of  acres  of 
valuable  land  that  had  laid  for  centuries  almost 
a  barren  waste,  have  been  transformed  into  the 
best  cane-producing  soil  that  the  world,  affords. 
He  has  brought  water  from  the  mountains  and 
irrigated  this  extensive  region,  which  thus  sprang 
from  worthlessness  into  valuable  fertility ,at  once; 
but  not  without  a  vast  expenditure  of  labor  and 
treasure.  In  the  midst  of  this  redeemed  waste 
stands  Spreckelsville,  a  monument  to  the  enter- 
prising genius  of  Glaus  Spreckels.  The  town 
consists  entirely  of  the  residences  of  the  labor- 
ers employed  by  Glaus  Spreckels  and  company, 
together  with  the  five  or  six  mammoth  sugar 
mills,  all  supplied  with  the  most  perfect  machin- 
ery known  to  modern  times.  Glaus  Spreckels 
and  his  brothers  are  interested  largely  in  other 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  119 

Hawaiian  plantations ;  they  have  established  the 
Oceanic  Steamship  Company,  which  built  and  is 
now  running  a  line  of  magnificent  American- 
built  steamships  between  Australia,  Honolulu 
and  San  Francisco.  In  the  Hawaiian  capital 
Glaus  Spreckels  has  erected  a  palatial  residence 
second  only  to  the  royal  palace  in  size  and  grand- 
eur; but  Spreckelsville  is  by  far  the  greatest 
monument  of  his  industry,  enterprise  and  great 
financial  ability.  One  who  has  never  seen  sugar 
manufactured  on  a  large  scale  can  profitably 
spend  a  whole  week  in  Spreckelsville.  As  the 
millionaire  proprietor  has  vast  financial  interests 
in  San  Francisco,  he  is  not  to  be  found  on  his 
plantation  at  all  times  by  any  means;  in  fact  he 
but  rarely  yisits  Spreckelsville  nowadays,  but 
Mr.  Hernenway  chanced  to  meet  him  there. 

Glaus  Speckels,  the  capitalist  king  of  Hawaii, 
is  a  German  by  birth,  and  an  American  citizen 
by  naturalization.  He  is  probably  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  fifty  years  of  age,  although  he  does 
not  look  that  old.  About  medium  height  and 
rather  stoutly  built,  with  light  hair,  and  a  cast 
of  countenance  peculiar  to  the  better  class  of 
Germans,  his  eyes  glisten  with  intelligent  pene- 
tration and  his  manner  is  brisk  and  lively.  In 
conversation  he  is  all  that  one  would  expect  a 


120  MEMOIRS    OF   MY    DAY. 

far-seeing  and  great  financier  to  be.  Personally, 
in  society  he  is  convivial,  congenial  and  gener- 
ous. He  has  an  amiable  wife,  also  of  German 
parentage,  and  a  number  of  most  interesting 
children  of  superior  appearance.  His  history 
unfolds  one  of  the  financial  marvels  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  Years  ago  he  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  a  poor  but  an  honest  and  industrious  youth. 
By  the  sheer  force  of  his  great  ability,  rather  than 
by  any  stroke  of  happy  fortune,  he  has  worked 
his  way  up  to  a  leading  position  among  the 
greatest  princes  of  industry  and  commerce  in  all 
the  world.  Hawaii  may  consider  herself  fortun- 
ate in  that  much  of  her  material  resources  are 
in  the  keeping  of  Glaus  Spreckels. 

Immediately  southeast  of  Spreckelsville,  Halea- 
kala,  the  largest  extinct  crater  in  .the  world,  rears 
its  gigantic  proportions  more  than  ten  thousand 
feet  into  the  sky.  About  the  base  of  this  stu- 
pendous mountain  there  is  excellent  pasturage 
during  most  seasons  of  the  year;  upon  the  top  of 
the  massive  barrier,  in  the  old  crater,  there  is 
now  a  forest  in  place  of  the  lava  fires  which 
used  to  rage  there  ages  ago.  On  the  southwest 
side  of  Haleakala  is  the  famous  and  beautiful  old 
McKee  homestead,  with  its  lovely  parterres,  mag- 
nificent groves,  cosy  home  and  unique  surround- 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  121 

ings.  Here  Captain  James  McKee,  a  veteran  sea 
commander,  settled  years  ago  and  founded  one  of 
the  most  inviting  rural  abodes  in  all  Hawaii.  He 
is  dead  now,  and  his  scarred  remains  sleep  in  a 
mausoleum  erected  amid  the  groves  and  gardens 
that  he  planted  on  the  homestead  which  will  long 
be  his  best  monument. 

After  paying  a  flying  visit  to  the  inviting  place, 
Mr.  Hemenway  re-embarked  on  an  inter-island 
steamer  an4  proceeded  southwest,  passing  along 
the  entire  western  coast  of  the  great  island  of 
Hawaii,  which  is  some  four  thousand  square  miles 
in  area.  This  western  coast  is  a  vast  wall  of  lava, 
rising  some  hundreds  of  feet  and  sloping  back 
with  more  or  less  precipitation  to  an  impenetrable 
forest  which  crowns  the  centre  of  the  island.  At 
some  remote  period,  Hawaii  was  a  great  mass  of 
flowing  lava,  as  its  whole  formation  still  testifies. 
Gradually,  time  has  worn  away  the  rocks,  and 
vegetation  has  appeared  in  the  valleys  and  on 
the  more  level  tracts  where  many  large  planta- 
tions now  thrive,  but  still  the  western  coast  is 
comparatively  barren,  and-  rarely  anything  but 
native  settlements  and  small  cultivated  plats  are 
to  be  seen  there.  In  the  little  ravines  worn  in 
the  rock  by  the  action  of  the  elements  for  cen- 
turies, the  Kanakas  cultivate  taro  and  bananas 


122  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DA.Y. 

and  delicious  pineapples.  In  places  the  cocoa- 
nut  tree  rears  aloft  its  characteristic  top  upon  its 
branchless  stalk,  and  in  this  vicinity  the  cele- 
brated Kona  coffee  is  raised.  Along  this  coast, 
also,  is  the  gloomy,  rocky  little  bay  upon  the 
margin  of  which  the  renowned  English  naviga- 
tor and  explorer,  Captain  Cooke,  was  killed  some 
three  centuries  past.  Near  the  spot  where  he  fell, 
the  British  government  has  erected  a  monument 
to  his  memory,  which  we  gazed  *  upon  with 
curiosity,  and  which  recalled  to  our  mind  many 
historical  pictures  of  the  distant  and  romantic 
"long  ago,"  when  the  great  Pacific  Ocean  was  a 
region  of  partial  myth  and  many  wonders. 

Down  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  coast 
line  of  Hawaii,  there  is  a  break  in  the  lava  bed 
wall  enfilading  the  shore.  Here  is  the  landing  of 
Haneaupo,  in  the  vicinity  of  two  small  planta- 
tions. A  few  miles  back  in  the  interior  the 
great  back  of  Mauna  Loa  can  be  seen  rising 
more  than  thirteen  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea  level.  And  a  little  south  and  east  of  Han- 
eaupo, flaring  up  in,to  the  sky,  from  an  exten- 
sion of  Mauna  Loa,  may  be  seen  the  light  of 
the  volcano  of  Kilauea,  which,  at  the  time  of  our 
visit,  was  very  active.  Here  Hemenway  disem- 
barked once  more.  An  excellent  saddle  horse 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  123 

was  in  waiting  for  him;  he  proceeded  to  visit  the 
neighboring  thrifty  sugar  plantations,  and  spent 
a  day  among  the  mountains.  The  scenery  was 
magnificent  from  many  points  back  in  the  in- 
terior a  few  miles.  In  the  evening,  in  company 
with  some  American  gentlemen  employed  as 
book-keepers  and  time-keepers  on  the  planta- 
tions, Hemenway  visited  the  Haneaupo  beach  in 
the  moonlight.  There  he  witnessed  a  novel 
scene  which  may  be  called  a  native  fishing  excur- 
sion. In  the  ocean,  a  few  rods  from  shore,  were 
forty  or  fifty  native  men,  women  and  children, 
of  all  ages,  swimming  about  like  a  school  of 
porpoises,  and  drawing  in  a  net  which  had 
already  been  "set"  for  snaring  fish.  Nothing 
could  exceed  the  graceful  dexterity  of  the  lithe 
and  supple  swimmers,  as  they  moved  about 
through  the  waves,  endeavoring,  by  splashing 
and  diving,  to  drive  the  fish  into  their  net.  The 
dark,  copper  colored  bodies  of  some  of  the  natives 
glistened  in  the  moonlight;  in  the  surrounding 
ocean  the  stars  of  heaven  were  mirrored;  for  the 
weather  was  calm  and  the  sea  almost  as  smooth 
as  glass;  the  rugged  adjacent  features  of  the 
island  were  outlined  in  the  poetical  and  bright 
stillness  of  the  night;  the  surf  broke  in  barely 
audible  ripples  on  the  rocky  beach,  and  all  nature 


124  MEMOIRS    OF   MY    DAY. 

seemed  like  a  poem,  while  away  off  in  the  dis- 
tance the  volanic  fires  of  Kilauea  threw  a  great 
lurid  light  athwart  the  heavens,  which  modified 
the  hue  of  the  moon's  pale  beams,  and  gave  the 
scene  a  still  more  wonderful  grandeur. 

The  next  (Jay  the  young  traveler  proceeded  to 
the  volcano  on  horseback.  It  was  a  long,  dreary 
ride.  Kilauea  is  approached  from  this  side  over 
a  great  hard  and  broken  mountain  side  of  lava 
formation.  The  great  black  crater,  with  its  red 
hot  boiling  lakes  of  molten  rock,  is  a  sight  that 
no  description  can  portray  in  all  its  awful  grand- 
eur, although  many  eloquent  and  masterly  pens 
have  undertaken  to  paint  the  scene  in  well- 
chosen  words.  We  will  not  attempt  the  task  of 
describing  the  volcano,  because  of  the  certainty 
that  we  could  but  do  its  wonders  greater  injustice. 

Kilauea  has  been  an  active  volcano  continu- 
ously, ever  since  history  has  had  any  record  of 
its  existence.  However,  native  Kanaka  traditions 
say  that  there  was  a  time  when  Kilauea  was  a 
great  barren  rock,  without  the  sign  of  any  vol- 
canic phenomenon.  But,  in  an  ancient  and 
fabulous  age,  a  beautiful  Hawaiian  princess  was 
born.  Her  royal  parents  reared  her  tenderly  in 
the  lap  of  luxury,  and  she  blossomed  forth  into  the 
perfection  of  womanly  glory.  Her  complexion 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  125 

was  but  a  shade  darker  than  the  olive;  her 
eyes  were  large  and  as  lustrous  as  the  stars  of 
heaven;  her  form  was  stately,  soft,  and  volupt- 
uous; her  hands  and  feet  small  and  delicate,  and 
her  fingers  long  and  symmetrical.  Withal,  she 
was  a  supremely  delightful  embodiment  of  intox- 
icating female  loveliness,  and  her  hair  was — red. 
Naturally  the  noble  youth  of  the  land  vied  with 
each  other  desperately  to  win  the  hand  of  the 
lovely  princess.  Although  many  of  her  native 
suitors  sacrificed  their  lives  as  a  testimony  of 
their  devotion,  still  she  was  not  moved  to  love. 
But  presently  a  beautiful  white  youth  appeared 
mysteriously  on  the  Islands.  He  came  from  the 
Land  of  the  Morning;  his  brow  was  white  as 
snow,  and  his  lips  like  red  roses.  Instantly  the 
princess  lost  her  heart;  for  months  she  wooed 
the  white  boy,  but,  alas !  in  vain — sh£  could  not 
captivate  him,  and  her  disappointed  love  at  last 
drove  her  into  desperation.  Finally  she  sum- 
moned all  the  beauty  and  gallantry  of  Hawaii 
to  assemble  for  a  great  festival  in  a  rustic  retreat 
under  the  brow  of  Kilauea.  The  occasion  was 
celebrated  with  games  and  dancing,  and  the 
lovely  princess  appeared  in  all  the  grandeur  of 
her  rank  and  beauty,  to  make  one  last  attempt 
upon  the  wonderfully  fair  but  indifferently 


126  MEMOIRS  OF  MY  DAY. 

inclined  white  youth  of  the  Morning.  In 
the  middle  of  the  day,  when  the  festival  was 
at  its  height,  the  princess  had  .occasion  to  retire 
to  a  secluded  bower  to  arrange  her  toilet,  and 
there,  to  her  great  astonishment  and  chagrin,  she 
discovered  the  fair  young  stranger  of  her  fancy 
in  the  fond  embrace  of  an  ugly  maiden  of 
ignoble  birth.  At  the  sight  of  this  spectacle  the 
affection  in  the  heart  of  the  princess  turned  to 
bitter  hate,  and  a  jealous  fury  seized  her  soul. 
She  fled  to  the  spot  where  the  volcano  of  Kilauea 
now  is,  and  there  nourished  her  passions  of 
jealousy  and  hatred  into  such  a  flame  that  her 
lovely  person  took  fire  and  communicated  the 
consuming  blaze  to  the  rocks  upon  which  she  sat. 
Thus  was  the  heart  of  the  mountain  first  ignited 
with  the  everlasting  fire  which  melts  the  ele- 
ments in  the»bosom  of  Kilauea  until  this  day. 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  127 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Back  again  to  Native  Land. — Editor  of  the  Salem,  Oregon, 
Talk. — A  Rustic  journey  to  Baker  City. — In  Boise  City, 
Idaho. 

|ETURNING  from  the  volcano  of  Kilauea, 
Hemenway  re-embarked  at  Haneaupo  and 
continued  his  excursion,  touching  at  Hilo 
and  several  other  small  ports,  and  eventually 
returning  to  Honolulu,  where  he  again  resumed 
the  editor's  chair  in  the  office  of  the  Daily  Adver- 
tizer.  After  the  lapse  of  a  month  or  so,  he  again 
visited  various  islands  in  a  semi-official  capacity, 
and  late  in  the  fall  of  1883  he  severed  his  connec- 
tion with  Premier  Gibson,  and  departed  for  the 
Pacific  coast  and  his  native  land  once  more. 
Early  in  the  winter  he  left  San  Francisco  for 
Portland,  Oregon,  and  for  four  months  he  taught 
school  in  the  country  some  miles  from  the  Oregon 
metropolis.  In  the  spring  of  1884,  he  appeared 
in  Salem,  the  beautiful  capital  city  of  Oregon. 
Here  he  was  promptly  engaged  as  editor-in-chief 
of  the  Daily  Talk.  By  unflagging  exertion,  he 
succeeded  in  giving  this  paper  a  fresh  lease  of 
life.  His  residence  in  the  web-foot  capital  was 
altogether  a  happy  one.  Taken  all  in  all,  the 


128  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

residents  of  Salem  are  a  select  people.  Socially 
they  are  pure,  refined,  intelligent  and  accom- 
plished, as  a  rule,  which  holds  entirely  good  in 
respect  to  the  better  classes  of  the  place,  who  are 
vastly  in  the  majority.  Mr.  Hemenway  remem- 
bers with  the  liveliest  sentiments  of  esteem  Gov- 
ernor Moody,  Secretary,  of  State  Earhart,  and  his 
assistant  F.  E.  Hodgskin,  County  Recorder 
Chamberlane,  Hon.  Tilford  Ford;  capitalist  and 
banker,  A.  Bush,  Hon.  Leo  Willis  and  many 
other  foremost  citizens,  to  whom  he  is  indebted 
for  kindly  appreciation  and  good  will  and  even 
more  substantial  recognition.  He  remembers 
also  with  a  feeling  of  respect  and  admiration  the 
members  of  the  Alka-Hesperian  Society,  a  large 
and  flourishing  organization  embracing  the  young 
gentlemen  and  ladies  of  the  best  families  in  the 
city.  This  society  is  devoted  to  literary  and 
social  pursuits.  A  more  pure,  bright,  congenial  and 
refined  association  of  young  people  never  came 
under  our  observation. 

In  Salem  all  the  great  State  institutions  of 
Oregon  are  located.  There,  also,  are  the  celebrated 
Willamette  University  and  Sacred  Heart  Acad- 
emy, both  educational  establishments  of  the  first 
excellence.  Salem  is  built  upon  a  level  plat  of 
land,  on  the  east  side  of  Willamette  River,  in  a 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  129 

prolific  valley  of  the  same  name.  Its  streets  are 
broad  and  regular,  and  it  probably  now  claims  a 
population  of  nearly  ten  thousand  souls.  In 
summer  time,  and  during  the  early  part  of  fall 
and  the  latter  part  of  spring,  the  climate  is 
delightful,  and  while  the  numerous  shade  trees 
that  enfilade  the  streets  retain  their  leaves  and  the 
many  lawns  and  gardens  their  foliage,  Salem  is 
one  of  the  most  charming  cities  of  the  country.  A 
great  many  of  her  citizens  are  retired  merchants 
and  professional  men,  and  these  give  a  kind  of 
conservative  tone  to  society  there. 

During  the  latter  part  of  July,  1884,  Mr. 
Hemenway  retired  from  the  editorship  of  the 
Daily  Talk.  His  health  had  been  materially 
effected  by  incessant  application  to  the  duties  of 
his  editorial  position.  He  had  tried  with  eminent 
success  to  lift  up  the  fortunes  of  an  unfortunate 
paper.  Others  had  monopolized  the  chief  pecu- 
niary benefit,  and  he  deemed  it  due  to  himself  to 
take  a  vacation.  At  first  he  went  to  The  Dalles; 
there  after  a  short  stay  he  fitted  himself  out  with 
a  saddle  horse  and  pack  animal  and  started 
across  the  country,  two  hundred  miles,  to  the 
headwaters  of  the  John  Day  and  Malheur  rivers, 
with  rifle  and  fishing  tackle,  for  a  genuine  sum- 
mer outing.  The  surface  of  the  country  from  The 
10 


130  MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY. 

*  • 

Dalles  through  to  John  Day  Valley,  and  thence  to 
Baker  City,  in  western  Oregon,  is  extremely  rough, 
seamed  with  immense  gorges  and  broken  plateaus, 
with  here  and  there  a  level  section  or  a  small 
fertile  valley.  We  remember  particularly  the 
awful  gorge  through  which  the  Deschutes  River 
passes,  where  the  Canyon  City  road  crosses  it. 
For  a  number  of  miles  the  traveler  passes 
over  a  rolling,  gradually  ascending,  and  final- 
ly almost  level  country,  and  then  he  suddenly 
arrives  at  a  great,  deep  opening  in  the  earth's 
surface,  down  which  the  road  leads  precipitously 
for  over  five  miles  before  the  bottom  is  reached. 
Standing  at  the  top  of  this  gigantic  declivity,  the 
scene  is  peculiarly  grand  and  impressive.  In 
the  distance  the  great  white  head  of  Mt.  Hood  is 
visible,  and  for  miles  to  the  westward  the  surface 
of  the  soil  seems  to  be  in  chaos.  It  is  a  diverting, 
healthful  exercise  to  travel  through  this  wild 
region.  Hemenway  finally  reached  the  wooded 
mountains  near  and  between  the  sources  of  the 
John  Day  and  Malheur  rivers,  and  there  in  the 
solitary  seclusion  of  the  wilderness  he  pitched  his 
tent,  and  for  two  months  subsisted  on  fish,  veni- 
son, bacon  and  "flapjacks"  cooked  by  his  own 
hands.  During  that  time  he  never  saw  but  one 
human  being,  and  that  was  a  hunter  who  was  too 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  131 

far  distant  to  hail.  For  Hemenway  there  was  a 
fascinating  kind  of  wild  freedom  and  transport  in 
such  a  life.  Daily  he  made  long  excursions 
through  the  forest  in  search  of  game  and  to  com- 
mune with  nature.  There  is  a  sort  of  inspiration 
in  the  deep  mountain  jungles,  where  the  foot  of 
man  has  never  or  seldom  trod.  There  is  a  kind 
of  solemn  society  in  the  silence  of  nature  where 
none  intrude  but  the  guests  of  fancy  and  thought 
and  retrospection.  With  his  brief  but  checkered 
and  eventful  past  to  ponder  over,  Charles  W. 
Hemenway  enjoyed  this  situation  as  perhaps  few 
men  could.  The  altitude  of  the  place  where  he 
had  camped  was  high,  and  by  the  first  of  October 
the  weather  began  to  get  very  cold.  This  made 
it  necessary  to  repair  to  the  confines  of  civiliza- 
tion. Baker  City,  eighty-five  or  ninety  miles  dis- 
tant, was  the  nearest  town  of  any  note.  Thither 
the  traveler  repaired,  and  disposing  of  his  horses, 
he  went  by  stage  to  Boise  City,  the  capital  of 
Idaho,  where  he  at  once  procured  a  position  on 
the  editorial  staff  of  the  Idaho  Statesman. 

At  that  time  the  notorious  William  Bunn  was 
Governor  of  Idaho  Territory;  the  Legislature  was 
about  to  assemble  in  Boise,  and  political  intrigue 
was  the  order  of  the  day.  Theodore  F.  Singiser, 
a  Republican,  had  just  been  beaten  by  honest 


132  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    BAY. 

John  Hailey,  a  Democrat,  for  Territorial  Delegate 
to  Congress;  the  Mormon  problem  had  been 
thrust  into  the  issue  of  the  recent  local  campaign, 
and  as  a  consequence  old  political  parties  were 
more  or  less  demoralized.  Mr.  Hemen way's  posi- 
tion on  the  Statesman  threw  him  into  the  midst 
of  the  political  whirlpool.  No  one  who  has  always 
spent  his  life  in  Utah,  or  who  has  never  taken 
any  part  in  the  typical  political  agitations  of  the 
day  in  the  United  States,  can  possibly  compre- 
hend the  character  of  the  coterie  of  politicians 
which  gathered  around  the  Idaho  capital  to  antici- 
pate the  forthcoming  meeting  of  the  Legislature, 
and  as  far  as  possible  forecast  its  action.  Every- 
body had  an  ax  to  grind,  and  nobody  seemed 
very  particular  about  any  principle  or  the  public 
welfare,  if  t he  could  only  make  money.  Finally 
the  Legislature  did  assemble.  The  great  majority 
of  the  members  of  both  brandies  of  this  "Idaho 
Parliament"  were  very  commonplace  and  grossly 
ignorant.  To  this  rule  there  were  a  few  brilliant 
exceptions.  Representative  McKern,  of  Nez  Perce 
County,  was  an  able  speaker  and  a  scholarly 
lawyer  and  gentleman.  The  council  could  boast 
of  three  bright  members,  namely,  Silas  W.  Moody, 
James  E.  Hart  and  Speaker  Wood.  But  alto- 
gether the  whole  Legislature  was  rather  a 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  133 

tame  uninspired  body,  and  it  speedily  became  the 
mere  tool  of  a  sharp  little  ring  of  Federal  wire-pull- 
ing schemers.  This  ring  was  headed  by  the  then 
Territorial  Secretary,  D.  P.  B.  Pride,  ably  seconded 
by  Governor  Wm.  M.  Bunn  and  lesser  official 
luminaries.  Pride  represented  the  brains  of  the 
coterie.  The  anti-Mormon  test  oath  law  passed 
by  the  Legislature  was  really  a  conception  of  his. 
He  was  a  Republican  and  had  an  eye  to  the 
future  Congressional  Delegateship  of  Idaho.  The 
Territory  was,  however,  hopelessly  Democratic, 
and  he  promptly  conceived  the  brilliant  idea  of 
reversing  its  political  complexion  by  defranchis- 
ing  the  Mormon  voters  of  Idaho,  who  always  had 
cast  their  ballots  with  the  Democracy.  But  al- 
though this  idea  was  original  with  Pride,  many 
of  his  fellow  carpet-bag  statesmen  speecfily  adopted 
it,  and  the  then  United  States  Marshal,  Fred.  T. 
Dubois,  has  anticipated  Pride's  ambition  to  take 
advantage  of  the  famous  test  oath  law,  for  the 
purpose  of  attempting  to  secure  an  election  on 
the  Republican  ticket  as  Delegate  to  Congress. 
Pride  "ran"  the  Legislature,  however,  and  for  his 
benefit  that  body  created  the  office  of  Territorial 
Prosecuting  Attorney,  and  put  him  into  it.  In 
beautiful  legislative  schemes  of  this  sort,  the 
Idaho  Statesman  of  Boise  City  took  a  hand,  and 


134  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

its  proprietor  insisted  upon  going  into  so  many 
questionable  issues  that  Mr.  Hemenway,  as  his 
literary  instrument,  felt  constrained  to  retire  from 
the  Statesman's  editorial  staff,  which  he  did  forth- 
with by  a  peremptory  resignation  January  1, 
1884.  A  day  or  two  later  he  departed  from  Idaho 
for  Utah. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

In  Utah  at  Last. — Payson  a  Place  of    Destiny. — In  Love.— 
The  Result. 

over  the  world  Utah  and  the  Mormons 
enjoy  a  co-ordinate  celebrity.  The  Ter- 
ritofy  of  Utah  is  a  Territory  of  marvels; 
and  the  Mormons,  who  have  founded  their  homes 
and  temples  here  are  a  marvelous  people. 
The  practice  of  plural  marriage,  commonly  called 
polygamy,  has  given  them  a  world- wide  noto- 
riety; and  fabulous  accounts  of  their  character  and 
religion  have  filled  the  public  mind  with  curi- 
osity respecting  them.  So  erroneous  and  dis- 
torted are  the  average  popular  opinions  concern- 
ing these  people,  that  we  have  heard  a  New 
England  school  mistress  enquire,  in  all  soberness, 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  135 

whether  or  not  the  polygamists  had  horns  or 
looked  at  all  like  other  people.  Naturally  enough 
Mr.  Hemenway  was  anxious  to  get  somewhat 
acquainted  with  this  remarkable  people  called 
Mormons.  While  in  Idaho  he  had  read  some  of 
their  ecclesiastical  works,  and  also  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Hon.  James  E  Hart,  then  a 
Mormon  member  of  the  Idaho  Legislature  from 
Bear  Lake  County,  in  the  southeastern  corner  of 
the  Territory.  Mr.  Hart  was  the  son  of  polygamous 
parents,  and  yet  he  was  a  most  exemplary,  in- 
telligent and  companionable  young  gentleman. 
Owing  to  his  representations  of  the  habits 
and  characteristics  of  his  people,  Mr.  Hemenway 
determined  to  settle  in  Utah.  He  had  tired  of 
change,  and  accumulated  a  considerable  expe- 
rience, which  had  taught  him  something  of  the 
hollowness  of  fame,  glory  and  ostensible  emi- 
nence in  various  walks  of  life.  He  had  dis- 
covered that  the  most  glowing  honors  were 
usually  attained  at  great  sacrifice,  and  frequently 
worn  with  pain  and  sorrow.  He  had  learned 
that  even  the  prominence  which  the  noblest 
ambition  might  attain  brought  with  it  a  train  of 
cares,  perplexities  and  dangers.  He  had  seen, 
also,  much  of  corruption  and  depravity  in  high 
places,  among  the  rich,  the  grand,  the  learned 


136  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

and  the  wealthy  everywhere  he  had  been.  He 
no  longer  sought  the  glare  of  publicity,  nor  did 
he  covet  renown  or  the  applause  of  a  thoughtless 
and  selfish  world  any  more.  The  chimerical 
aspirations  of  his  early  days  had  been  modified 
by  the  knowledge  that  a  few  stern  eventful  years 
nad  brought,  and  his  heart  yearned  for  the  quiet 
and  peaceful  joys  of  a  retired  and  simple  rustic 
home,  where  he  might  surround  himself  with 
pure  and  honest  friends,  with  no  invidious  dis- 
tinctions or  shallow  conventionalities  or  spiteful 
ambitious  jealousies  to  introduce  one  element  of 
hell.  Having  in  vain  sought  for  ^  paradm  ^f- 
carthly  happiness  among  the  glare,  pride,  fashion, 
wealth  and  power  of  men  and  communities,  he 
now  turned  back  to  seek  the  object' of  his  pursuit 
in  sequestered  obscurity,  and  a 'retired  existence 
among  the  meek  and  lowly. 

Animated  by  such  a  sentiment,  early  in  Jan- 
uary, 1884,  Charles  W.  Hemenway  passed 
through  Ogden  to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he  re- 
mained a  few  days  to  select  an  inviting  rural  local-, 
ity  to  settle  in.  He  then  found  his  current  funds 
in  danger  of  being  exhausted,  and  wrote  to 
a  relative  with  whom  he  had  deposited  a  neat 
little  sum  a  year  or  two  before.  A  week  passed 
by  but  the  relative  failed  to  respond.  The  Fed- 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  137 

eral  authorities  of  the  Territory  had  just  begun  a 
vigorous  prosecution  of  Mormons  who  lived  in  the 
habit  and  repute  of  plural  matrimony,  and  it  was 
impossible  for  a  stranger  to  obtain,  from  Mormon 
sources,  any  valuable  information  as  to  the  most 
inviting  localities  for  residence  among  the  coun- 
try settlements;  so,  as  a  matter  of  economy,  to 
select  a  rural  place  of  abode,  and  to  write  a  few 
articles  for  a  Chicago  paper,  Mr.  Hemenway  left 
Salt  Lake  City  on  the  D.  &  R.  G.  Railway.  He 
stopped  a  few  days  at  Lehi,  at  American  Fork, 
at  Provo  and  at  Springville,  daily  expecting  a 
remittance  from  the  custodian  of  the  money 
which  he  had  laid  by  for  a  rainy  day,  but  none 
came,  and  he  had  but  a  few  dollars  left  while  he 
found  himself  in  a  land  of  strangers  who  re- 
garded him  with  the  utmost  suspicion  as  they 
then  did  all  new-comers — because  of  the  general 
dread  of  "spotters,"  "spies,"  and  the  like,  who 
were  supposed  to  be  in  search  of  evidence  against 
polygamists.  Under  these  circumstances,  he  set 
out  on  foot  in  quest  of  work  of  any  kind  to  enable 
him  to  sustain  himself  until  he  could  procure  his 
funds.  Everywhere  he  found  many  idle  men  and 
no  employment  to  be  obtained  at  any  rate.  The 
affair  was  getting  desperate.  His  purse  was  about 
all  empty.  He  had  traveled  about  through  the 


138  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

mud  to  get  work  for  several  days  indefatigably, 
and  was  almost  worn  out  when  he  reached  Pay- 
son,  a  settlement  of  about  two  thousand  five 
hundred  inhabitants,  somewhere  about  seventy 
miles  south  of  Salt  Lake  City.  When  he  first 
came  in  sight  of  Pay  son,  it  was  raining  and 
snowing  alternately.  He  sat  down  on  a  fence 
rail  to  deliberate  and  rest  a  few  moments,  for  he 
was  very  tired.  For  half  an  hour  or  so  he  was 
lost  in  thought,  and  then  he  suddenly  looked  up 
and  noticed  that  the  clouds  had  cleared  away  and 
left  Payson  in  the  sunshine.  A  peculiar  feeling 
came  over  him,  and  he  said  to  himself:  "I  will  go 
no  further  than  that  settlement;  there  I  will  meet 
my  destiny;  I  believe  there  is  something  there 
for  me."  Forthwith  he  dismounted  from  the 
fence  and  struggled  through  the  mud  a  mile  or 
two  until  he  reached  the  village,  where  he  found 
a  home-like  country  bofrel  kept  by  Mr.  Robert 
Smith,  and  secured  supper  and  lodging  for  the 
night.  The  next  day  he  undertook  the  almost 
impossible  task  of  obtaining  some  sort  of  employ- 
ment. No  one  thereabouts  at  that  season  of  the 
year  had  any  work  to  do,  or  if  they  had  they 
would  not  have  hired  a  stranger  to  have  done  it. 
But  true  to  his  determination  Hemenway  refused 
to  entertain  a  thought  about  going  on  further,  and 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  139 

after  a  few  days  Orrawell  Simons,  Sr.,  an  old  and 
well-to-do  resident  of  the  place,  took  the  young 
stranger  into  his  own  house,  and  offered  him 
board  and  lodging  for  what  little  miscellaneous 
labor  he  could  perform.  For  over  a  month  Hem- 
en  way  remained  with  Mr.  Simons,  cutting  wood 
with  an  ax,  feeding  stock  and  the  like.  During 
this  time  he  had  plenty  of  leisure  to  observe  the 
peculiarities  and  characteristics  of  the  Mor- 
mon people  by  whom  he  was  entirely  sur- 
rounded. He  was  profoundly  impressed  by 
the  simple  candor  and  indubitable  sincerity  of 
all  the  masses  of  the  Latter-day  Saints.  He  was 
thoroughly  convinced  that  they  were  conscien- 
tious in  their  belief  in  plural  marriage.  He 
mingled  with  then;  freely  and  familiarly  in  many 
instances,  and  attended  their  religious  meetings 
on  many  occasions  to  satisfy  himself  respecting 
them.  Among  the  Latter-day  Saints  of  Payson, 
at  that  time,  the  penetrating  observer  could  not 
fail  to  recognize  a  sentiment  of  social  harmony 
and  union  that  is  generally  alien  to  society 
throughout  the  Christian  world.  And,  without 
having  decided  to  join  the  Mormon  Church, 
Hemenway  determined  to  remain  among  these 
peculiar  people.  He  was  tired  of  the  excitements 
of  city  life;  the  toils  of  a  newspaper  avocation 


140  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY 

no  longer  had  any  fascination  for  him,  and  he 
began  to  lay  plans  for  establishing  himself  in  the 
possession  of  a  rustic  home,  a  few  acres  of  land, 
and  some  cattle  and  sheep  to  keep  him  busy.  In 
the  meanwhile  chopping  wood  seemed  to  agree 
with  him;  he  grew  strong  and  hearty;  his  hands 
began  to  get  hard  and  his  features  tanned  and 
weather-beaten.  He  began  to  flatter  himself  that 
he  would  soon  make  a  typical  ranchman,  farmer, 
or  stock-raiser.  But,  alas!  how  little  men  know 
which  way  they  are  drifting.  The  poet  has  well 
said: 

"There  is  a  destiny  that  shapes  our  ends, 
Rough-hew  them  as  we  may." 

One  evening  at  a  joint  meeting  of  the  Mutual 
Improvement  Associations  of  Payson,  Hemenway 
.noticed  a  young  lady  who  seemed  to  him  ex- 
tremely lovely.  He  had  never  seen  her  before, 
but  for  hours  and  days  afterwards  the  soft  and 
amiable  outlines  of  her  face  would  intrude  upon 
his  fancy.  A  few  weeks  later  he  saw  her  face 
once  more,  but  he  did  not  speak  to  her  and  she 
scarcely  noticed  him.  With  his  rude  overalls 
and  long  hair  he  was  not  an  ideal  lover,  perhaps, 
but  nevertheless  from  the  moment  he  saw  the 
young  lady  the  second  time  he  was  in  love,  entirely 


MEMOlKS   OF   MY    DAY.  141 

and  absolutely,  for  the  first  time  in  his  whole  life. 
A  great,  deep,  all-pervading  passion  seized  his 
heart  just  as  great  affections  do,  once  in  a  lifetime. 
He  enquired  who  the  young  lady  might  be  that 
had  been  the  thoughtless  inspirer  of  such  pro- 
found emotions.  Miss  Ireta  Dixon  was  the  poet- 
ical name  which  the  villagers  said  was  hers. 
Hemenway  did  not  ask  for  an  introduction ;  he 
merely  determined  that  Miss  Dixon  should  be  his 
wife,  and  said  nothing.  Then  he  found  that  he 
already  had  many  rivals  although  at  that  time 
no  one  ever  dreamed  the  secret  of  his  inmost  soul. 
"Ah,"  thought  he,  "I  must  act  promptly  or  I  shall 
be  too  late;"  and  that  afternoon  of  the  third  Sun- 
day in  February  he  abolished  all  the  plans  which 
he  had  been  maturing  for  a  month,  and,  with  all 
his  characteristic  energy,  besought  himself  how 
he  might  most  quickly  win  the  hand  and  heart  of 
the  fair-haired,  brown-eyed  Ireta.  That  very  night, 
amid  snow  and  mud,  and  with  a  small  bundle  of 
clothes  packed  upon  his  back,  he  set  out  on  foot  for 
Provo,  twenty  miles  distant.  "If  I  win  that 
bonny  girl,"  thought  he,  "I  must  speedily  put 
myself  in  a  condition  to  command  respect  and  a 
suitable  income."  Again  the  old  fondness  for  the 
editorial  sanctum  came  back  to  him  as  he  tramped 
through  the  mud  and  sleet  during  the  whole  of 


142  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

that  dark  and  stormy  night,  but  with  the  old 
professional  fondness  there  was  a  new  light,  a 
new  inspiration,  a  new  and  hallowed  love  which 
went  out  from  the  midnight  pedestrian's  heart 
towards  the  remembered  features  of  a  blithe 
country  girl,  to  whom  he  was  a  total  stranger  ar.d 
yet  to  whom  he  owed  one  of  the  most  powerful 
and  ennobling  of  all  the  impulses  that  can  thrill 
and  exalt  the  soul  of  a  strong,  earnest  man. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Prove  City. — Installed  in  the  Enquirer  Office. — Editor  of  the 
Ogden  Daily  Herald. — Married. — To  Ireta. 

IflROVO  is  a  very  lovely  little  city  of  some 
five  or  six  thousand  inhabitants,  hardly 
forty  miles  south  of  Salt  Lake  City,  in 
Utah  Valley.  It  is  a  quiet,  orderly  and  pleasant 
place  to  live  in,  but  during  the  month  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1884,  it  was  anything  but  an  inviting 
centre  of  business  activity.  After  his  night's 
forced  march  through  the  mud  from  Payson, 
Hemenway  found  himself  in  the  suburbs  of 
Provo  about  daylight  Monday  morning.  During 


kEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  43 

the  night  his  clothes  had  been  soaked  with  melting 
sleet  repeatedly,  but  towards  morning  the  weather 
had  turned  cold,  and  soon  his  outer  garments 
were  frozen  upon  his  back.  Cold,  hungry  and 
tired,  indeed,  was  he,  that  bleak  and  disagreeable 
morning,  but  he  was  not  one  whit  discouraged. 
The  streets  of  the  city  were  all  deserted  when  he 
first  arrived,  and  he  paced  up  and  down  the  rail- 
way platforn  until  about  nine  o'clock,  when  he 
called  on  Mr.  Harvey  H.  Cluff,  one  of  the  Presi- 
dency of  Utah  Stake.  This  gentleman  Mr. 
Hemenway  had  casually  met  before.  Mr.  Cluff 
was  found  at  his  office  near  the  Utah  Central 
Railway  depot.  He  was  very  kind  to  the  young 
man,  and  evidently  comprehended  a  part  of  his 
circumstances,  for,  without  being  asked,  he 
loaned  Mr.  Hemenway  $2.50  to  be  repaid  when 
convenient.  Then  Hemenway  proceeded  to  a 
hotel  and  got  a  late  but  highly  acceptable  break- 
fast. It  gives  a  man  an  appetite  to  walk  all 
night  in  the  mud  and  cold.  The  balance  of  the 
day  was  spent  in  searching  diligently  for  employ- 
ment, though  none  was  found.  But  before 
another  twenty-four  hours  elapsed,  through  the 
friendly  offices  of  the  President  of  the  Stake, 
Hon.  A.  0.  Smoot,  and  Mr.  H.  H.  Cluff,  Mr. 
Hemenway  was  installed  in  the  office  of  the 


144  MEMOIRS  otf  MY  DAY. 

I 
Provo  Enquirer,  a  local  semi-weekly  newspaper, 

as  an  editorial  writer.  -During  the  next  few 
weeks  some  original  articles  made  the  subscribers 
of  the  Enquirer  rather  open  their  eyes,  we  sus- 
pect. Hemenway  was  not  a  Mormon,  but  the 
Enquirer  belonged  to  a  Mormon,  and  the  new 
editor  took  delight  in  defending  a  people  whom  he 
knew  were  often  shamefully  abused  and  villain- 
ously misrepresented.  The  result  of  his  out- 
spoken, frank  and  vigorous  utterances  in  behalf 
of  the  Mormons  was  gratifying.  The  great 
journalistic  guns  of  the  anti-Mormons  in  Salt 
Lake  City  began  to  turn  their  attention  to  the 
Enquirer  at  once,  and  Mr.  John  Nicholson,  asso- 
ciate editor  of  the  Deseret  News,  wrote  to  Mr. 
Hemenway  offering  him  a  permanent  position  at 
good  wages  on  the  Ogden  Daily  Herald.  This 
seemed  like  a  good  opportunity  to  enlarge  the 
sphere  of  his  usefulness,  and  the  stranger  editor 
availed  himself  of  Mr.  Nicholson's  suggestion. 
In  a  few  days  the  president  of  the  Ogden  Herald 
Publishing  Company,  Hon.  L.  W.  Shurtliff,  and 
the  business  manager,  Mr.  E.  H.  Anderson,  visited 
Provo  and  ratified  a  contract  with  Mr.  Hemen- 
way, who  proceeded  to  Ogden  a  week  or  two  later 
and  assumed  editorial  control  of  the  Ogden  Daily 
and  Semi-Weekly  Herald  on  the  morning  of  his 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  145 

twenty-fourth  birthday,  or  March  22, 1885.  How 
much  success  Mr.  Hemenway  attained  in  the 
next  four  or  five  months  in  his  new  editorial 
capacity  is  a  matter  of  history,  which  is  pretty 
significantly  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  within 
that  brief  period  the  anti-Mormons  of  Ogden  were 
somewhat  demoralized,  and  did  not  hesitate  to 
threaten  his  life,  and  even  attempt  to  assault  him 
at  his  place  of  residence  and  upon  the  highways, 
but  a  kind  of  charm  seemed  to  preserve  his  per- 
son from  the  murderous  missiles  and  weapons  of 
his  totally  discomfitted  opponents.  Then  the 
powerful  enginery  of  the  law  was  pitted  against 
him, and  a  packed  grand  jury,  composed  entirely 
of  his  enemies,  found  two  indictments  against 
him  for  libel.  His  enemies  had  conceived  the 
brilliant  but  cowardly  scheme  of  securing  his 
conviction  by  a  trial  jury  composed  exclusively 
of  his  most  deadly  foes.  But  on  the  other  hand 
the  whole  body  of  the  Mormon  people  for  miles 
around,  and  many  honorable  Gentiles,  threw 
around  him  the  sustaining  grace  of  their  sympa- 
thy and  general  cordial  support,  and  even  the 
unscrupulous  and  abandoned  malignity  of  his 
rankling  enemies  augmented  his  strength  and 
stimulated  his  exertions.  They  could  not  silence 
his  tongue  with  a  bribe  or  fetter  his  pen  with  a 


146  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

threat,  and  he  received  hundreds  of  letters 
applauding  his  courage  and  integrity  of  purpose. 
Meanwhile  the  circulation  of  the  Ogden  Herald 
continued  to  increase;  its  editorials  were  copied 
to  the  advantage  of  the  M  ormon  people  abroad, 
and  it  became  a  considerable  local  power  in  poli- 
tics, business  and  religious  concerns.  This  result 
had  been  attained  by  the  first  of  July,  and  Mr. 
Hemenway  deemed  himself  sufficiently  well 
founded  upon  the  rock  of  public  confidence  to 
command  a  moderate  support  for  a  family.  Then, 
and  not  till  then,  did  he  seek  the  acquaintance  of 
the  young  and  handsome  lady  who  had  inspired 
all  his  strenuous  exertions  for  full  five  months, 
during  which  time  he  had  never  once  heard  from 
her  or  seen  her  face,  so  full  of  the  lustre  of  beauty 
to  his  eyes,  but  the  memory  of  her  amiable 
features  with  all  their  innocence  and  sunshine 
was  treasured  in  his  heart  like  the  recollection  of 
a  holy  vision.  Should  we  recount  the  story  of 
his  love  conquest?  Will  the  young  people  of  a 
future  day  care  to  read  the  simple  tale?  Perhaps 
not,  and  yet  it  is  a  brief  and  harmless  narrative. 
The  editor  turned  wooer  with  all  the  ardor  of  his 
soul.  Miss  Ireta  Dixon  was  a  name  that  bound 
him  as  by  magic.  He  readily  secured  an  intro- 
duction to  her,  but  there  were  other  beaux  who 


MEMOIRS    OP    MY    DAY.  147 

had,  perhaps,  already  found  favor  in  her  eyes,  and 
how  could  he  win  her  from  them?  We  don't 
know  exactly  how  he  did  it,  but  it  was  soon  his 
happy  fortune  to  become  an  accepted  lover. 
Then  followed  a  brief  but  delightful  courtship, 
with  all  the  glory  of  moonlight  rides  and  lovers' 
walks  and  talks,  when  the  pure  emanations  of  the 
heart  made  earth  a  paradise  and  life  an  apt  fore- 
taste of  immortal  and  elysian  joys.  Oh!  those  were 
happy  days — for  an  editor;  and  they  will  never 
fade  while  memory  retains  her  power.  And  then, 
on  the  twenty-ninth  of  September,  1885,  came 
the  wedding  day  with  its  train  of  happiness. 
Only  think,  Hemenway  won  the  idol  of  his  heart 
in  three  months.  You  may  be  sure  he  was  a 
zealous  suitor,  and  the  while  he  wooed  Ireta  he 
continued  to  hurl  the  javelins  of  his  criticism 
among  the  anti-Mormons,  who  were  in  a  condi- 
tion of  chronic  combustion  about  half  the  time 
as  a  consequence— but  the  wooing  and  the  wed- 
ding went  on  just  the  same.  That  was  the  hap- 
piest day  in  all  his  existence  when  the  young 
editor  led  his  bride  to  the  altar  on  that  fair  Sep- 
tember day  in  Payson.  And  then  the  wedding 
feast  was  such  a  home-like,  happy  one,  and  the 
ball  in  the  City  Hall  so  merry  and  pleasant. 
And  next  day,  let  us  not  forget  the  formal  part- 


148  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 

ing  of  the  young  bride  and  the  associates  of  her 
youth,  her  venerable  father  and  many  relatives. 
It  was  a  touching  scene,  so  full  of  pathos  as  to 
melt  the  heart  in  tears.  Ah,  but  what  can  equal 
the  noble,  confiding  love  and  confidence  of  a 
young  woman,  for  the  first  time  giving  her  affec- 
tions and  herself  with  it  to  the  man  she  loves! 
And  how  shall  a  man  sufficiently  appreciate  such 
a  precious,  PRICELESS  gift  ? 

Ireta!  as  we  write  this,  the  clock  numbers  the 
hour  which  completes  the  first  anniversary  of  our 
wedding  day- September  29,  1886.  Is  your 
husband  less  a  lover  now  than  he  was  ere  he 
espoused  you  on  that  bright  September  day  one 
year  ago?  Has  he  not  loved  you  with  an  equal, 
truthful  love,  and  cared  for  you  with  an  ever 
increasing  tenderness  and  devotion?  You  know 
his  inmost  heart;  not  one  thought  that  slumbers 
there  but  is  your  own.  Tis  true  he  is  not  with 
you  to  guard  your  slumbers,  guide  your  amuse- 
ments, or  help  you  pass  the  tedious  hours  in  mirth. 
A  judge — a  Federal  judge — tore  him  from  you, 
and  threw  him  into  prison  for  a  year,  and  you  are 
sorrowful  and  lonely  now;  your  true,  warm, 
woman's  heart  was  wounded  and  His  Honor  satis- 
fied. But  you  do  know  now,  sweet  wife,  how 
more  than  ever  dear  your  faithful  husband  is  to 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY  >DAY.  149 

you,  and  you  to  him  since  that  judge  did  his 
utmost,  and  ceased  to  be  a  judge  forever.  Thus 
may  it  ever  be,  0  wife  and  husband.  Pure  and 
true  affection  is  eternal ;  age  and  misfortune  but 
strengthen  and  exalt  it;  peace,  -virtue,  honor 
and  long  life  grow  out  of  it  in  this  world,  and 
merge  into  it  in  the  eternities  to  come;  therefore, 
Ireta,  how  brighter  than  a  star  must  the  happy 
future  be? 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Some  Account  of  MiSs  Ireta  Dixon  and  her   Family. — Utah 
Girls  make  Good  Wives. 

IRETA  DIXON,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Charles  W.  Hemenway  on  the 
twenty-ninth  day  of  September,  1885,  was 
born  in  Bountiful,  Davis  County,  Utah,  Septem- 
ber 20th,  1866.  Her  parents  sprang  from  sturdy 
and  famous  old  Anglo-Saxon  families.  On  her 
father's  side,  great-grandfather  Dixon  was  born 
in  Yorkshire,  England ;  his  wife  was  a  daughter 
of  the  Coats  family  of  thread  manufacturing 
fame.  Great-grandfather  and  mother  Dixon 
emigrated  to  America  in  1758.  They  settled  at 


150  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  in  New  Bruns- 
wick, upon  a  small  harbor  which  is  known  to 
this  day  as  Dixon's  Landing.  During  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  their  eldest  son,  Charles,  was 
drafted  into  the  British  service  and  stationed  at 
Fort  Cumberland,  on  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  He 
served  with  distinction  through  the  war.  In 
1790,  he  traveled  through  the  United  States.  He 
stayed  some  two  months  where  the  city  of  Cin- 
cinnati now  stands,  but  where  only  a  few  log 
cabins  were  then  to  be  found.  Thence  he  pro- 
ceeded down  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  remained  a 
few  months,  and  then  returned  by  the  way  of  New 
York  to  his  parental  home  in  New  Brunswick, 
where  he  became  a  farmer  and  then  a  ship-builder. 
Subsequently  he  sold  out  and  emigrated  to  what 
was  known  as  the  Western  Reserve  in  Ohio,  and 
located  some  twenty  miles  from  Cleveland,  in  1854. 
Some  years  later  he  set  out  for  Utah,  but  as  the 
result  of  an  accident  he  died  in  Davenport,  Iowa. 
His  wife  and  Ireta's  grandmother,  Elizabeth 
Dixon,  lived  to  reach  Utah,  and  died  at  Pay  son 
City,  in  1864,  having  attained  her  eighty-sixth 
year. 

Edward  Dixon,  Ireta's  father,  was  born  in 
Sackville,  N.  B.,  August  17th,  1818.  He  emi- 
grated to  Ohio  with  Charles  Dixon,  his  father,  in 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  151 

1837,  and  in  1844  he  visited  Hancock  County, 
Illinois,  and  saw  Governor  Ford  come  in  with  his 
three  thousand  men  to  take  the  city  of  Nauvoo. 
Later  on  he  was  present  in  Carthage  at  the  trial 
of  Sharp  and  Williams  for  the  murder  of  Joseph 
and  Hyrum  Smith.  Then  he  returned  to  Ohio, 
and  subsequently  emigrated  to  Portage  County, 
Indiana,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising  until  1854,  when  he  drove  stock  across 
the  plains  to  California  in  company  with  Orra- 
well  Simons,  Sr.  At  the  Missouri  River,  where 
Mr.  Dixon  arrived  late  in  the  season,  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  the  Indians  were  menacing  emigrants, 
and  after  a  delay  of  a  few  days  a  party  consisting 
of  Squire  Hicox,  his  son  Bronson,  his  daughter 
Delia,  and  others  from  Ohio  and  Illinois,  came 
along  and  all  proceeded  west  together  for  their 
mutual  protection.  With  some  difficulty  they 
crossed  the  Missouri  River  about  six  miles  above 
Council  Bluffs,  and  pushed  on  to  the  westward  as 
vigorously  as  possible,  in  the  hope  of  overtaking 
other  parties,  that  all  might  travel  with  greater 
safety.  The  third  day  out  from  the  Missouri,  a 
camp  of  wagons  was  sighted  some  distance  ahead, 
but  upon  examination  it  was  found  that  the 
Indians  had  carried  off  the  stock,  cut  up  the 
harness  and  left  no  trace  of  the  unfortunate  emi- 


152  MEMOIRS    OP    MY    DAY. 

grants.  This  illustrates  some  of  the  perils  of  that 
time,  which  those  who  crossed  the  plains  had  to 
encounter.  A  few  days  later,  Captain  Davis  and 
a  party  from  Wisconsin  came  in  sight.  The  two 
companies  united,  for  strength  and  safety.  The 
road  was  marked  by  many  fresh  graves,  and 
stations  were  deserted.  After  a  variety  of  more 
or  less  startling  incidents,  Mr.  Dixon  arrived  in 
Salt  Lake  Valley  September  6th,  1854.  After 
helping  to  open  up  the  settlement  of  Spanish 
Fork,  in  Utah  Valley,  whither  Mr.  Dixon  went 
with  Mr.  0.  Simons  and  others  from  Salt  Lake 
Valley,  he  proceeded  on  to  California  with  his 
cattle.  In  company  with  others  he  traveled  over 
three  hundred  miles  towards  the  Pacific  Coast 
without  any  unusual  -trouble,  bat  soon  after,  near 
a  place  called  Stony  Creek,  Indians  made  a  des- 
perate effort  to  steal  some  of  the  cattle  and  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  a  number  of  the  animals  some 
distance  from  camp  before  they  could  be  over- 
taken and  recovered.  Several  times  the  Indians 
came  into  camp  and  were  with  difficulty  placated. 
Mr.  Dixon  and  party  finally  arrived  in  California 
on  the  first  day  of  July,  1855.  Soon  afterwards, 
he  located  in  the  coast  range  of  mountains,  and 
remained  there  raising  stock  until  1859,  when  he 
visited  San  Francisco,  took  passage  for  Panama 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  153 

on  the  Golden  Gate,  and  thence  crossed  the  isthmus 
to  Aspiiiwall,  and  sailed  to  New  York,  where 
he  landed  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  May,  1859. 
That  same  year  he  proceeded  to  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
and  was  married  to  Sarah  Gould. 

Ireta's  great-grandfather  on  her  mother's  side 
was  John  Gould.  He  served  all  through  the 
Revolutionary  war  in  the  patriot  army.  He 
settled  in  the  State  of  New  York,  where  he  lived 
until  1812,  when  he  again  took  up  his  musket  to 
fight  Great  Britain.  He  was  a  member  of  a 
cavalry  company,  and  at  the  battle  of  Lundy's 
Lane  he  was  killed  while  charging  the  enemy. 
His  horse  was  also  killed  by  the  same  missile  that 
caused  his  death.  By  the  side  of  the  old  Revolu- 
tionary hero,  when  he  fell,  rode  his  son,  John 
Gould,  Jr.  He  lived  to  see  the  war  ended,  and 
became  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
where  his  daughter,  Sarah,  Ireta's  mother,  was 
born,  February  17th,  1828.  There,  too,  Sarah 
Gould  grew  to  womanhood,  and  from  there, 
just  after  her  marriage  with  Edward  Dixon,  in 
1859,  she  departed  for  Indiana  and  California  in 
the  spring  of  1860.  After  the  tedious  march 
which  such  a  trip  overland  involved  in  those 
days  of  hardships  and  privations,  Ireta's  parents 
settled  in  Lake  County,  California.  Three  years 


154  MEMOIRS    OF   MY    DAY. 

later  they  removed  to  Napa  Valley,  and  on  the 
third  of  July,  1865,  they  came  back  to  Utah  by 
way  of  the  "Pony  Express"  route.  They  settled 
at  Bountiful,  where  we  have  already  learned  their 
daughter,  Mrs.  Ireta  Hemenway,  was  born.  In 
1867,  Mr.  Dixon  bought"  a  farm  in  Farm- 
ington,  and  in  June,  1869,  Mrs.  Dixon,  with 
Ireta,  then  but  three  years  old,  took  the 
train  at  Ogden  for  the  east  and  visited  her 
old  home  in  Ohio.  After  a  month's  absence, 
she  returned,  and  then  the  family  removed 
to  Payson  City,  in  Utah  County,  where  they 
have  resided  ever  since,  and  where  Ireta's  mother 
died  April  18th,  1882.  Mr.  Edward  Dixon  still 
resides  in  Payson,  where  he  has  two  daughters, 
both  older  than  Ireta,  and  one  son,  Eddie,  who  is 
the  youngest  of  the  family.  The  old  gentleman 
is  now  venerable  with  years,  but  he  is  well  pre- 
served and  hearty.  His  life  has  been  that  of  a 
pioneer.  In  his  younger  days  he  was  tall  and 
strong,  and  admirably  qualified  to  contend  with 
the  rugged  vicissitudes  of  a  pioneer  career;  and 
few  have  toiled  harder  or  labored  with  better 
motives  than  Father  Dixon  or  "Uncle  Ed."  as 
he  is  familiarly  called  in  Payson.  His  departed 
wife,  who  sleeps  in  the  Payson  burial  grounds, 
was  a  helpmate  in  the  truest  and  best  sense.  As 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  155 

a  mother,  she  was  fond  and  kind  and  faithful;  as 
a  wife,  she  was  tender  and  true.  Her  life  latterly 
was  wholly  devoted  to  her  children,  whom  she 
loved  with  an  unusual  affection  and  tried  to  rear 
in  the  paths  of  righteousness  and  honor. 

Such,  briefly,  were  the  ancestors  of  the  young 
lady  whom  Mr.  Hemenway  has  made  his  wife — a 
young  lady  born  amid  these  valleys  of  the  moun- 
tains, and  overflowing  with  such  good  qualities  of 
head  and  heart  that  best  equip  women  for  the 
consummation  of  perfect  wifehood.  Here  in  this 
Mormon  Territory  also  has  she  always  lived.  At 
Brigham  Young  Academy,  at  Provo,  she  obtained 
educational  advantages,and  by  associations  among 
the  peculiar  people  of  this  region  have  her  social 
habits  been  formed.  In  all  things  she  is  a  typical 
Utah  girl — as  lovely  as  any  and  as  brave  and 
true. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

A  Sketch  of  the  Libel  Suits.— In  Jail.— "Good  Bye." 

IEOPLE,    etc.,   vs.    Charles   W.    Hemenway; 
libel."     This  was  the  title  of  three  cases  on 
the  docket  of  the  First  District  Court  of 
Utah,  which  were  to  come  up  for  trial,  in  Ogden, 


156  MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY. 

during  the  month  of  December,  1885.  The  first 
case  was  tried.  Mr.  Hemenway  was  unable  to 
provide  himself  with  an  attorney,  and  was  therefore 
compelled  to  defend  himself.  The  indictment  had 
been  found  by  a  grand  jury  which  had  just  been 
severely  criticised  by  the  defendant,  and  the 
alleged  libel  consisted  in  publishing  in  the  Ogden 
Herald,  some  months  before,  an  editorial  in  which 
the  opinion  was  expressed  that  U.  S.  Prosecuting 
Attorney,  W.  H.  Dickson,  U.  S.  Commissioner, 
Win.  McKay,  and  other  Federal  officers  were 
pooling  their  fees.  The  editor  had  based  this 
article  upon  current  report  and  divers  communi- 
cations. Prior  to  the  time  of  the  alleged  libelous 
publication,  he  had  never  met  or  had  any  deal- 
ings with  any  of  the  gentlemen  aggrieved.  Prior 
to  the  time  when  he  was  indicted  and  arrested,  he 
had  never  been  given  an  opportunity  to  correct 
the  erroneous  publication,  as  he  would  gladly 
have  done  if  his  attention  had  been  called  to  the 
facts.  The  alleged  libel  was  published  in  good 
faith.  The  editor  was  persuaded  that  his  opinion 
was  justified  by  the  reports  he  had  received,  and 
due  to  the  public.  He  never  received  any  inti- 
mation that  the  article  was  considered  a  libel, 
until  he  was  informed  that  the  grand  jury  had 
it  under  consideration.  Wm.  McKay,  one  of  the 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  157 

parties  who  thought  he  had  been  libeled,  on  the 
witness  stand  at  the  trial,  swore  that  the  alleged 
defamatory  article  did  him  no  harm,  but  that  it 
perhaps  did  him  some  good.  Neither  he  nor  any 
of  the.  other  gentlemen,  presumably  aggrieved, 
had  complained  to  the  grand  jury,  or  asked  that 
Mr.  Hemenway  be  indicted.  That  august 
body  had  acted  upon  its  own  motion.  It  was 
composed  exclusively  of  anti-Mormons;  the  par- 
ties whom  it  alleged,  by  indictment,  had  been 
libeled,  were  eminent  anti-Mormons;  the  trial  jury 
was  composed  exclusively  of  anti-Mormon  parti- 
zans;  the  judge  before  whom  the  case  was  tried 
was  an  anti-Mormon,  and  the  defenseless  young 
defendant  had  distinguished  himself  as  a  journal- 
istic defender  of  the  persecuted  Mormon  people. 
The  Case  was  conducted  on  the  part  of  the  prose- 
cution by  J.  L.  Rawlins,  Esq.,  a  brilliant  and 
eloquent  attorney  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  Mr. 
Hemenway  pleaded  his  own  cause,  as  best  he 
could,  alone.  The  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of 
"guilty,"  as  a  matter  of  course.  Mr.  Hemenway, 
under  oath,  frankly  acknowledged  the  publica- 
tion, and  under  the  libel  law  of  Utah,  which  pre- 
sumes malice,  no  doubt  he  was  technically  guilty. 
Under  the  same  law,  every  other  newspaper  editor 
in  the  Territory  might  probably  be  convicted  from 


158  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

one  to  a  thousand  times,  with  a  hostile  judge  and 
jury,  and  especially  with  no  means  of  securing  a 
proper  legal  defense.  But  the  utmost  efforts  of 
the  prosecution  failed  to  show  that  Mr.  Hemen- 
way  had  been  actuated  in  the  publication  of  the 
libel  by  the  least  actual  personal  malice. 

The  next  day,  the  other  two  cases  against  Mr. 
Hemenway  were  set  for  trial.  One  of  these  was 
an  alleged  libel  on  General  Nathan  Kimball,  of 
Ogden.  In  this  case  the  aggrieved  gentleman 
entered  complaint  against  Mr.  Hemenway  for 
criminal  prosecution,  and  also  sued  him  and  the 
Ogden  Herald  Company  conjointly  for  $20,000 
damages.  The  editorial  complained  of  had  been 
published  by  the  editor  a  month  or  two  after  he 
assumed  control  of  the  Ogden  Herald.  Among  other 
things  the  libel  consisted  in  the  statement  that  the 
impecuniosity  of  the  prosecuting  witness,  General 
Kimball,  rendered  him  susceptible  to  corruption, 
a  hasty  statement  which  the  Deseret  News  disap- 
proved, and  which  no  one  regretted  more  than  the 
defendant  himself  after  he  became  acquainted 
with  the  General.  Prior  to  the  publication  of  the 
attack  upon  Mr.  Kimball,  Mr.  Hemenway  had 
never  been  introduced  to  him  nor  had  any  deal- 
ings with  him.  Consequently  there  could  have 
been  no  actual  personal  malice  in  the  premises. 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  159 

In  publishing  the  alleged  defamatory  article  in 
this  case,  Mr.  Hemenway  was  of  necessity  relying 
upon  the  statements  of  others,believing  that  he  was 
uttering  the  truth,  and  as  the  General  was  fore- 
man of  the  then  grand  jury  in  the  First  Judicial 
District  of  Utah,  his  character  as  a  public  servant 
in  that  capacity  was  of  course  open  to  public  criti- 
cism. 

The  final  libel  case  pending  at  this  time  against 
Editor  Hemenway  was  instigated  by  the  grand 
jury.  The  party  whom  the  defendant  was  accused 
of  libeling  in  this  instance  was  none  other  than 
Hon.  Charles  S.  Zane,  Chief  Justice  of  Utah. 
Mr.  Zane  did  not  complain  in  this  case.  In  fact 
we  are  informed  that  the  honorable  gentleman 
declares  he  has  never  yet  read  the  alleged  defama- 
tion of  his  character  for  which  the  author  is 
now  undergoing  one  year's  imprisonment.  This 
alleged  libel  was  written  in  a  period  of  much 
local  excitement.  Among  other  things  the  Chief 
Justice  was  charged  with  rendering  a  crooked 
decision  in  a  certain  case  growing  out  of  the  sen- 
sational revelations  in  connection  with  the  matter 
that  led  to  the  imprisonment  of  Mr.  B.  Y.  Hamp- 
ton for  conspiracy.  As  soon  as  Mr.  Hemenway 
was  made  aware  that  his  article  in  this  case  was 
considered  libelous,he  hastened  to  explain  that  he 


160  MEMOIKS    OF    MY    DAY. 

meant  that  His  Honor  had  rendered  a  crooked 
decision  in  accord  with  a  crooked  law.  The 
editor  further  practically  apologized  in  print  by 
disclaiming  the  intention  of  uttering  even  a  dis- 
respectful word  concerning  the  Chief  Justice. 
Nevertheless,  Mr.  Hemenway  was  promptly 
indicted,  although  Mr.  Zane  entered  no  complaint. 
The  editor  seemed  to  be  looked  upon  as  a  shining 
mark  for  prosecution  because  he  was  trying  to 
defend  an  unpopular  people,  but  more  especially 
because  he  was  poor  and  defenseless,  and  so  entirely 
a  stranger  that  he  was  compelled  to  rely  upon 
reports  and  statements  obtained  from  others. 

When  the  Kimball  and  Zane  libels  came  up 
for  trial,  Mr.  Hemenway  found  himself  entirely 
exhausted  by  his  labors  to  defend  himself  single- 
handed  during  his  trial  for  libel  the  day  before, 
and  moreover  he  despaired  of  a  successful  defense 
because  of  the  partizan  leanings  of  the  court  and 
entire  jury  panel  that  were  to  try  him,  and  also 
because  of  the  unqualified  presumption  of  malice 
according  to  the  law  against  libel.  For  these  and 
other  reasons,  he  withdrew  his  former  pleas  of 
"not  guilty,"  and  pleaded  "guilty"  in  both  the 
Zane  and  Kimball  cases.  The  court,  of  its  own 
motion,  then  suspended  sentence  for  a  month  in 
all  three  cases.  In  the  meanwhile,  as  always  be- 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  161 

fore,  through  the  columns  of  the  Ogden  Herald 
Mr.  Hemenway  expressed  a  desire  to  keep  strictly 
within  the  limits  of  the  law  concerning  libel. 
The  Mormon  people  did  not  want  any  improper 
weapons,  such  as  libel  or  slander,  used  even 
against  a  libelous  or  slanderous  enemy.  And 
Mr.  Hemenway  was  the  last  person  in  the  world 
to  desire  to  assail  worthy  gentlemen  unjustly. 
But  at  the  same  time,  as  a  public  journalist,  he 
desired  to  do  his  duty  fearlessly  in  exposing  cor- 
ruption in  official  quarters.  Necessarily  he  was 
compelled  to  write  from  the  information  with 
which  he  was  supplied  because  he  was  a  stranger 
in  a  strange  land,  and  moreover  no  editor  can  by 
any  possibility  hunt  up  proof  to  substantiate 
every  apparently  reliable  report  that  he  receives, 
upon  the  same  day  when  it  must  be  published 
or  rejected  and  killed  as  news. 

When,  in  January,  1886,  Mr.  Hemenway  again 
appeared  in  court  for  sentence,  he  was  surprised 
to  be  greeted  with  marked  courtesy,  by  the  pre- 
siding judge,  who,  in  the  case  of  the  first  alleged 
libel  upon  Messrs.  Dickson,  et  al,  imposed  a  fine 
of  $200.00  and  costs,  and  in  the  other  two  cases, 
suspended  sentence  indefinitely,  not  during  good 
behavior.  The  fine  and  costs  in  this  case  were 
promptly  paid  by  public  contributions  ranging 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

from  ten  cents  to  ten  dollars,  and  coming  from  all 
closes  of  people  in  Ogden,  and  throughout  the 
si|,r£OUiiding  territory.  By  some  of  the  donors  to 
Mr.  Hemenway's  relief,  the  editor  was  looked  upon 
as  the  :  innocent  victim  o*f  circumstances,  and 
ojthors  politically  opposed,  such  as  Fred.  J.  Keisel 
<^,rQQvx  who  contributed  $2.50,  exercised  their  gen- 
erosity in  his  behalf,  with  purely  charitable 
motives  to  save  the  editor  from  imprisonment, 
although  they  by  no  means  approved  his  editorial 
course. 

Hemenway  continued  to  edit; 
{  [majt^l  rthe  twenty-ninth  day;  ®$, 
he.  r\vas  suddenly  called  before 
court,  at  Ogden,  and  asked  to 
why  sentence  in  the  cases  suspended 
over  him  should  not  then  be  passed,  upon  him. 
On  the  part  of  the  prosecution,  Ogden  Hiles,  >E$q., 
;  ifhi3 :  attention  had  been  called; to;  the 
-li  (ahojWed  that  the  order  of  the  Court 
suspending,  sentence  in  these  cases,  had 
i^providently  made,  and  he  moved  that 
COTirt  should  consider  the  matter.  On  tfe^^rt  of 
,:  Nj.  l^iinball,  Esq.,  made  an 
for  the  fair  treatment  of  the 
defendant.,  Then  thq  Jiudge^with  some  asperity, 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY   DAY.  163 

sentenced  him  to  one  year's  imprisonment  in 
Weber  County  Jail  for  the  Zane  libel.  His 
Honor  refused  to  admit  the  editor  to  bail  pending 
appeal,  and, ordered  him  into  the  custody  of  the  U. 
S.  Marshal,  until  the  fine  was  paid.  Mr.  Hemen- 
way  was  saved  from  the  Marshal's  custody 
through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Warren  G.  Childs,  Sr., 
and  Mr.  Edward  H.  Anderson,  who  advanced  him 
the  money  to  pay  the  $500  fine,  on  his  note. 
Then  the  prisoner  was  turned  over  to  the  custody 
of  the  Sheriff  of  Weber  County  and  consigned  to  jail. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Hemenway  had  pleaded  "guilty" 
to  the  criminal  charge  of  libeling  General  Kim- 
ball,  the  civil  suit  against  him  and  the  Ogden 
Herald  Company  for  $20,000  was  compromised 
upon  the  confession  of  judgment  for  $500  by  the 
defendants.  Thus  it  was  after  this  settlement 
that  the  court  fined  the  editor  $500  more  for  the 
same  offense. 

The  imposition  of  final  sentence  upon  Mr. 
Hemenway  in  these  cases  was  about  the  last 
official  act  of  the  then  judge  of  the  First  District 
Court  of  Utah.  The  United  States  Senate  for 
cause  had  failed  to  confirm  his  nomination  to  the 
judgeship,  and  President  Cleveland  had  with- 
drawn his  name  and  presented  that  of  Hon.  H. 
P.  Henderson,  of  Michigan,  instead. 


164  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  now  ex-judge 
who  sentenced  the  editor  so  peculiarly,  had  more 
than  once,  especially  about  that  time,  trembled 
under  the  editor's  criticisms.  Mr.  Hemenway 
had  opposed  his  confirmation  by  the  Senate,  and 
sharply  animadverted  upon  the  eccentricities  of 
*  his  judicial  conduct.  Among  the  charges  which 
had  been  preferred  against  him  were  the  allega- 
tions of  Hon.  P.  H.  Emerson,  for  twelve  years 
Associate  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Utah, 
to  the  effect  that  the  now  ex-judge  was  vindictive, 
and  that  he  had  applied  to  learned  and  honor- 
able members  of  the  Utah  bar,  such  as  Judges 
Sutherland  and  Emerson,  profanely  abusive 
epithets  like  "G— -d  d — d  skunks."  A  few  days 
after  this  judicial  fellow  imposed  sentence  upon 
the  editor,  for  reasons  best  known  to  himself,  he 
left  the  Territory  for  Michigan,  and  went  back 
into  obscurity,  from  which  he  ought  never  to 
have  emerged  in  the  first  place. 

Mr.  Hemenway  went  to  prison  with  all  possible 
good  grace,  but  he  was  grieved  exceedingly  on 
account  of  his  young  and  tender  wife.  To  her 
the  sudden  and  unexpected  announcement  of  her 
husband's  sentence  c&me  like  a  stroke  of  light- 
ning, smiting  her  affectionate  heart  with  anguish 
and  sorrow  inexpressible.  Yet  did  she  soon 


MEMOIRS   OP    MY    DAY.  165 

recover  from  the  first  shock  of  the  event,  and  bear 
up  nobly  and  bravely  under  the  cloud  of  pain  as 
only  a  faithful,  true  and  courageous  wife  and 
sweetheart  can.  Although  her  health  was  then 
delicate,  she  soon  dashed  away  the  burning  tears 
and  sought  with  all  her  soul  to  comfort  her  incar- 
cerated companion,  and  from  that  first  sad  hour 
to  the  time  of  his  release  three  letters  passed 
between  them  every  day.  Up  to  the  hour  of  the 
husband's  incarceration,  their  life  together  had 
been  one  continual  honeymoon,  which — they 
hope  that  you,  kind  reader,  will  not  be  surprised 
to  learn— they  trust  and  believe  will  last  while 
they  both  live,  and  be  renewed  to  continue  for- 
ever in  brighter  realms  where  libels  will  never  be 
inadvertantly  uttered  or  vindictively  and  cruelly 
avenged. 

The  following  communication,  published  in  the 
Ogden  Herald  of  August  7th,  1886,  gives  some 
idea  how  the  incarcerated  editor  passed  the  first 
seven  days  in  jail: 

Editor  Herald: 

It  is  a  source  of  unalloyed  gratification  to  be  able  to  com- 
municate with  my  old  friends  through  the  columns  of  your 
paper  once  again.  From  the  many  inquiries  respecting  my 
condition  and  sentiments,  which  have  been  made  since  my 
incarceration,  I  am  happy  to  feel  sure  that  I  yet  hold  a 


106  MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY. 

kindly  interest  in  the  hearts  of  an  ever-generous  and  lenient 
upright  public.  It  is,  therefore,  with  a  measure  of  genuine 
pleasure  that  I  once  again  address  myself,  as  your  corre- 
spondent, to  the  people  of  Ogden  and  all  the  readers  of  the 
Ogden  Herald,  with  a  view  to  acquaint  them  with  my  pres- 
ent situation  and  those  feelings  which  arise  from  my  depri- 
vation of  liberty  by  the  order  of  the  First  District  Court. 

Since  efficient  and  dutiful  Sheriff  Belnap,  in  obedience 
to  the  dictates  of  his  duty,  conducted  me  to  the  basement  of 
the  Court  House,  in  Ogden,  and  initiated  me  into  the  mys- 
teries of  Weber  County  Jail  for  the  first  time,  I  have  been 
imprisoned  nine  days.  Seven-ninths  of  that  time  have  been 
passed  in  the  dark  and  dreary  dungeons  which  compose 
Weber  County  Jail,  but  which  are  nevertheless  secure  and 
proper  places  for  the  confinement  of  desperate  criminals. 
Those  seven  days  dragged  their  slow  length  along  tediously 
indeed.  It  matters  not  how  clear  a  conscience  a  prisoner 
may  have,  he  must  be  a  very  hard  and  abandoned  charac- 
ter, indeed,  not  to  have  some  cause  to  bemoan  the  loss  of 
his  liberty,  but  I  had  something  more  to  weep  for. 

The  general  reader  of  the  local  papers  will  doubtless  re- 
meml>€r  some  partisan  controversy  occasioned  by  0.  W.  Pow- 
ers' presentation  of  a  set  of  silver  spoons  as  a  wedding  pre-ent 
to  my  wife  on  the  occasion  of  our  marriage  in  Payson  just 
ten  months  to  a  day  prior  to  my  consignment  to  jail  by  his 
ex- Honor.  Well,  when  I  got  snugly  ensconced  in  confine- 
ment,my  mind  wandered  back  to  that  happiest  of  days  when 
I  espoused  the  first  woman  that  I  ever  really  loved.  Again 
in  imagination  my  youthful  bride  stood  before  me  in  all  her 
wedding  regalia  and  the  beauty  of  diffident  maidenhood. 
Again  I  see  the  ceremony  which  united  our  hands  and  our 
hearts.  Again  the  wedding  guests  extend  their  hearty  con- 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 


gratulations  and  marriage  bells  of  -mirth  and  music'  echo  on 
my  ears,  in  fancy.  And  then  the  festive  company  assemble 
around  the  bounteously  laden  tables,  and  tho  wedding  e'a'ke 
is  cut.  Peals  of  laughter,  repartee  and  gaiety  mingle  in  a 
very  symphony  of  joy,  and  smiles  illumine  every'  face,  ^Aind 
later  the  dance  claims  every  heart.  But  when  the  ball'  is 
over  and  the  guests  have  retired,  an  aged  father  'brings 
forth  a  mysterious  missive  received  by  post,  and  directed: 
"Mrs.  C.  W.  Hemenway,  Payson,  Utah."  The  dainty 
letter  is  opened  in  the  presence  of  the  bride  and  groom,  and 
it  reads  as  follows: 

"  Miss  Ireta  Dixon: 

"Accept  my  most  cordial  congratulations  and  best  wishes. 
I  send  a  slight  token  of  my  respect  by  express. 

"0.  W.  POWERS." 
******** 

Awakening  with  a  start,  I  glared  at  my  prison  walls,  which 
were  faintly  outlined  by  an  uncertain  light.  It  was  the 
first  morning  of  my  imprisonment,  and  —  reader,  I  had  been 
dreaming.  I  can't  begin  to  tell  all  the  thoughts  that  surged 
through  my  mind  at  that  moment  of  waking.  The  hours 
that  immediately  followed  seemed  to  me  an  eternity  of  tor- 
ment, and  I  would  have  given  my  right  arm  or  the  best  ten 
years  of  my  life  and  never  edited  a  paper  again  this  side  of 
that  bourne  whence  no  traveler  returns,  if  I  could  have 
returned  to  solace  and  attend  the  one  whom  I  live  for. 

I  suppose  I  am  a  peculiar  being  for  a  man  twenty-six 
years  of  age.  Perhaps  I  am  a  solecism  among  mankind, 
but  I  had  rather  sufter  a  thousand  degrees  of  agony  than  be 
the  source  or  cause  of  a  single  pang  inflicted  upon  another 
uselessly  and  deliberately.  This  is  why  I  shrink  fromimpris- 


168  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

onment.  As  for  myself,  I  defy  the  utmost  shafts  of  punish- 
ment or  torture  if  they  are  only  confined  to  me.  Have  I 
not  borne  patiently  and  without  murmuring  the  bitterest 
shafts  of  criticism  ?  Have  I  ever  sought  to  exact  the  "pound 
of  flesh'*  nominated  in  the  bond?  Have  I  not  forgiven  my 
enemies  and  blessed  those  that  cursed  me? 

For  the  last  two  days  I  have  occupied  new  quarters. 
Sheriff  Belnap,  responding  to  what  seemed  to  be  a  general 
public  opinion,  fitted  up  an  additional  compartment  ap- 
pended to  the  county  jail,  which  he  has  had  in  contempla- 
tion since  long  before  my  incarceration:  and  which  is  much 
pleasanter  and  more  cheerful  than  my  former  jail  lodgings. 
This  compartment  I  occupy.  It  is  on  the  first  floor  of  the 
Court  House  building,  in  the  northwest  corner  thereof,  and 
there  I  shall  be  very  happy  to  see  my  friends  at  proper 
times  when  the  Sheriff  will  permit. 

I  have  to  acknowledge  with  gratitude  many  gifts  that 
enhance  the  meagre  comforts  of  my  situation,  and  thank 
heaven  that  my  circumstances  are  not  as  bad  as  they  might 
be  by  any  means. 

CHAS.  W.  HEMENWAY. 
OGDEN  JAIL,  Aug.  7,  1886, 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  169 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

About  the  Mormons.  —  The  Wonderful  Religion  of  the  Latter- 
day  Saints. 


has  heard  of  the  Mormons, 
but  people  generally,  outside  of  Utah  and 
immediately  adjoining  localities,  know  very 
little  that  is  really  true  about  them.  The  people 
commonly  called  Mormons  denominate  them- 
selves the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints.  They  number  over  two  hundred  thousand 
souls,  and  the  present  seat  of  their  power  is  Salt 
Lake  City,  Utah.  The  religion  of  the  Mormons  is 
based  upon  the  Bible,  and  upon  the  revelations  of 
Joseph  Smith,  whom  they  esteem  a  prophet 
ordained  by  the  living  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac 
and  Jacob  to  inaugurate  the  dispensation  of  the 
fulness  of  times,  and  prepare  the  way  for  the 
second  advent  of  Christ  and  the  millennium  as 
foretold  in  the  Scriptures.  Joseph  Smith  claimed, 
and  the  Mormons  believe  that  he  received  visits 
from  angels,  and  that  the  keys  to  the  ancient  lost 
Priesthood  of  God  were  restored  to  him.  As  we 
understand  it,  the  Priesthood  represents  the 
authority  of  the  Almighty  on  earth,  and  the  keys 
of  this  authority  are  presumed  to  be  in  direct  com- 


170  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

munion  with  God.  Joseph  Smith  held  the  keys 
to  this  august  authority  while  he  lived.  His  first 
successor  to  this  power  was  the  celebrated  Brigham 
Young,  and  the  venerable  John  Taylor  now  stands 
at  the  head  of  the  Mormon  Church,  and  holds  the 
keys  of  the  Priesthood  as  prophet,seer  and  re  velator. 
The  "Book  of  Mormon"  purports  to  be  a  divinely 
authentic  history  which  Joseph  Smith  translated 
from  gold  plates  discovered  hidden  in  the  hill 
Cumorah,  in  New  York  State,  where  Joseph  was 
directed  to  find  them  by  an  angel.  This  book 
does  not  in  any  sense  supersede  the  Bible  in  the 
estimation  of  the  Mormons.  "The  Doctrine  and 
Co venants,"and  the  revelations  of  Joseph  Smith  are, 
we  understand,  regarded  as  quite  as  authoritative 
as  the  Bible.  The  Mormon  prophet  was  born  in 
Vermont,  in  1805.  He  organized  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Mormon  Church  in  1830.  He 
taught  his  followers  the  principle  of  gathering 
together  to  live  in  one  locality,  and  Kirtland,  Ohio, 
Jackson  County,  Missouri,  and  Nauvoo,  Illinois, 
were  successively  the  centre  of  their  gathering. 
In  1844,  at  Carthage,  near  Nauvoo,  Joseph  was 
brutally  murdered  by  a  mob,  and  his  successor, 
'Brigham  Young,  subsequently  led  the  Mormons 
across  the  plains  to  Utah,  which  was  a  barren, 
mountainous  wilderness  when  the  pioneers  first 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  171 

entered  Salt  Lake  Valley,  July  24,  1847.  After 
enduring  fearful  hardships,  with  the  lapse  of  a 
few  years  an  era  of  prosperity  and  peace  came  to 
the  exiled  and  sequestered  Mormons.  By  indus- 
try and  frugality,  they  have  overcome  the  natural 
sterility  of  the  country,  and  according  to  the 
common  saying  "made  it  blossom  as  the  rose." 
It  is  not  our  purpose  to  dwell  further  upon  the 
history  of  the  Mormons.  This  we  have  written 
by  way  of  introduction  for  the  benefit  of  the 
unacquainted  reader. 

When  Charles  W.  Hemenway  came  to  Utah,  in 
January,  1885,  he  had  an  ardent  curiosity  to 
obtain  an  inside  view  of  Mormon  character  and 
Mormon  institutions.  From  experience  he  had 
learned  that  the  best  way  to  measure  the  merits 
or  defects  of  a  particular  people  was  to  mingle 
familiarly  with  the  masses.  This  he  soon  began 
to  do,  in  spite  of  formidable  obstacles,  as  we  have 
seen,  at  Payson,  in  Utah  County.  He  found  the 
people  generally  unquestionably  sincere  in  their 
religious  views,  and  emphatically  in  earnest  to 
carry  out  only  what  they  conscientiously  believed 
to  be  the  design  and  will  of* God.  They  were 
virtuous,  temperate,  industrious  and  honest,  peace- 
ful and  law-abiding,  as  a  rule.  Nearly  every  male 
adult  in  good  standing  in  the  Church  held  office 


172  MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY. 

in  the  Priesthood,  the  keys  of  which  were  held  by 
John  Taylor,  the  President  of  the  Church  and 
the  living  Prophet  of  the  Lord.  Next  in  author- 
ity to  the  President  and  his  two  counselors,  Hons. 
George  Q.  Cannon  and  Joseph  F.  Smith,  a  son  of 
Hyrum  Smith,  the  Prophet  Joseph's  brother,  were 
the  Twelve  Apostles.  Under  them  were  quorums 
of  Seventies,  Presidencies  of  Stakes,  Bishops, 
Teachers,  Home  Missionaries  and  Elders,  com- 
prising nearly  the  entire  adult  male  membership 
of  the  Church,  all  organized  in  superb  subordina- 
tion and  efficiency.  To  the  chief  of  these  author- 
ities (all  holding  varying  degrees  of  power  solely 
by  virtue  of  their  rank  in  the  Priesthood)  the 
people  looked  with  respect  as  to  the  representa- 
tive of  God  on  earth.  The  masses  of  the  Mor- 
mon people  felt  that  the  laws  of  the  Almighty 
were  paramount  to  the  laws  of  men,  and  as  a 
natural  consequence"  paid  higher  allegiance  and 
greater  homage  to  those  who  were  representatives 
and  executors  of  the  Divine  laws,  by  virtue  of 
their  high  Priesthood,  than  they  could  to  the 
agents  and  executors  of  men's  laws.  Nevertheless 
they  scrupulously  observed,  as  a  rule,  all  of  the 
wholesome  and  usual  laws  of  the  civil  and  crimi- 
nal code  of  the  Territory.  The  Church  govern- 
ment was  in  the  hands  of  the  Priesthood,  at  the 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  „  173 

head  of  which  stood  John  Taylor,  in  chief  au- 
thority, with  his  counselors,  the  Twelve  Apostles, 
Seventies  and  Presidents  of  Stakes,  Bishops  in 
subordinate  control,  like  the  general  of  an  army 
with  his  aids  and  subordinate  commanders.  The 
Church  contemplated  the  entire  temporal  and 
spiritual  government  of  its  members.  It  had  its 
own  courts  and  judiciary,  with  President  Tayloi 
at  the  head  to  try  offenses  against  the  Church,  leav- 
ing members  amenable  to  the  law  of  the  land  when 
that  was  broken  by  them.  The  Church  owned 
much  property,  and  each  member  was  expected  to 
pay  into  its  treasury  one-tenth  of  his  or  her 
annual  income,  all  of  which  was  at  the  dis- 
position of  the  President,  as  Trustee-in-Trust  for 
the  Church,  who,  without  bonds  or  sureties, 
appeared  to  be  considered  accountable  to  God  alone. 
The  doctrines  of  the  Church  inculcate  honesty, 
virtue,  frugality,  devotion,  humility,  obedience  to 
authority,  hospitality  and  industry,  and  discour- 
age evil  generally.  The  Mormon  religion  is  a 
scheme  for  the  redemption  of  mankind  from  the 
consequences  of  sin,  just  the  same  as  other  re- 
ligous  systems  are.  Its  particular  mission  is,  how- 
ever, to  prepare  the  way  for  the  second  advent  of 
Christ  and  the  millennium.  It  claims  to  be  a 
restoration  of  the  primitive  and  original  religion 


174  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

of  Jesus  and  of  the  Bible.  The  most  preposter- 
ous, wild  and  sensational  ideas  respecting  Mor- 
monism,  or  the  faith  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  of 
Utah,  prevail  in  the  world  at  large.  In  order  to 
be  understood  thoroughly,  fairly,  or  anything 
like  perfectly,  the  whole  Mormon  system  must  b© 
diligently  and  candidly  studied  for  a  long  time. 
It  is  a  great  fabric,  in  many  respects  totally  unlike 
any  religious  system  now  upon  the  earth,  and  in 
order  to  be  properly  understood  it  must  be  studied 
from  the  standard  Mormon  works  on  theology 
and  history,  such  as  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants, 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  the  Pearl  of  Great  Price, 
the  Voice  of  Warning,  the  History  of  the  Mor- 
mon Battalion,  The  Martyrs,  Spencer's  Letters, 
Journal  of  Discourses,  Martyrdom  of  Joseph 
Standing,  and  many  other  publications  which  are 
authoritative  and  especially  valuable  to  the  stu- 
dent of  the  genius  of  Mormon  institutions.  For 
the  benefit  of  the  stranger  who  may  be  curious 
to  investigate  the  most  remarkable  religious 
phenomena  of  the  nineteenth  century,  we  will 
say  that  the  above  and  all  other  authentic  Mor- 
mon Church  works  may  be  procured  of  Abram 
H.  Cannon,  Ogden,  Utah,  or  of  Cannon  &  Sons 
or  The  Deseret  News  Company,  Salt  Lake  City. 
Although  the  writer  has  been  in  Utah  nearly  two 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY,  175 

years,  and  has  enjoyed  exceptional  opportunities 
of  forming  a  correct  opinion  of  the  Mormon 
creed,  he  has  not  by  any  means  mastered  all  its 
principles.  Two-thirds — nay,  ninety-nine  one- 
hundredths  of  the  ordinary  books  about  Utah 
and  the  Mormons,  written  by  transient  visitors  or 
speculative  politicians,  are  utterly  worthless,  full 
of  the  most  stupid  absurdities  and  extravaganzas. 
The  transient  visitor  to  Salt  Lake  is  generally 
seized  upon  by  politicians  who  have  an  object  in 
view,  and  for  various  purposes  mislead  the 
enquirer.  Even  the  older  and  more  intelligent 
residents  of  Utah  are  as  a  rule  rarely  well 
qualified  to  enlighten  the  stranger  fairly  to  any 
extent,  concerning  the  realities  of  Mormondom. 
This  much  we  say  by  way  of  cautioning  the  en- 
quirer after  truth.  Fbr  whether  we  regard  Mor- 
monism  as  a  fraud,  or  as  an.  inspired  and  holy  relig- 
ious system,  it  is  eminently  wor^tiy  qf,  ija-y<estigation 
equally  by  the  scholar,  then,pl4]k)sppher,  the 
statesman,  the  publicist,  or  the  honest  fa^er  and 
general  reader,  because  it  embraces  or  stands 
upon  a  gra^idnand  almost  marvelous  organization 

opposition,  #ft 

strong  for  more  than   half  a  century,  j 
which   odors  to   ra^TO,  the  .world    from  ,$ll 

j  <pff ,> 


176  MEMOIKS    OF    MY   DAY. 

1  and  lead  humanity,  as  in  one  harmonious  family, 
back  under  the  perfect  government  of  God. 
Whatever  your  faith  may  be,  whether  you  call 
yourself  a  Methodist,  a  Baptist,  a  Presbyterian, 
an  infidel,  an  anarchist,  or  what  not,  thoughtful 
reader,  you  will  find  it  both  pleasant  and  profit- 
able to  study  Mormonism  from  the  standard 
authorized  publications  of  the  Mormon  Church, 
but  most  books  that  profess  to  give  an  idea  of 
either  the  Mormons  or  their  religion  are,  as  a  rule, 
very  little  better  than  stale  and  stupid  fictions. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

Plural  Marriage. — Miscellaneous. — Scenery. — Railroads. — 
Mining  Resources. 

Mormons  generally  are  not  a  luxurious, 
proud  or  boastful  people;  neither  are  they 
vain-glorious,  egotistical  or  haughty.  They 
are  rather  simple,  plain  and  straightforward. 
They  deprecate  all  luxury,  and  appreciate  a 
manly  hardihood  which  prevails  among  them. 
They  maintain  remarkably  fraternal  relations 
among  themselves.  They  care  for  each  other,  and 
there  are  no  real  paupers  or  beggars  among  them. 
All  are  frugal  in  their  habits  of  living,  economi- 


MEMOIRS   OP   MY    DAY.  177 

cal  and  charitable.  Hospitality  is  a  special  fea- 
ture of  their  faith,  and  they  are  safe  as  debtors, 
accommodating  as  neighbors,  and  generally  full 
of  the  milk  of  human  kindness,  as  is  exemplified 
by  their  numerous  charitable  and  other  liberal 
donations  for  the  benefit  of  humanity.  It  may 
not  be  generally  known  that  the  Mormon  preachers 
or  teachers  of  the  Gospel  receive  no  salaries ;  all 
or  any  members  of  the  Priesthood  are  liable  to 
be  called  from  the  audience  to  preach  at  any  time. 
The  office  of  a  Mormon  Bishop  is  not  so  impor- 
tant, relatively,  p,s  the  bishop's  office  in  other 
churches.  A  Mormon  Bishop  simply  presides 
over  a  Ward  or  precinct.  All  Utah  and  that  por- 
tion of  adjoining  Territories  occupied  by  the 
Saints  are  subdivided  into  ecclesiastical  Wards; 
the  Wards  in  each  county  generally  are  combined 
into  an  ecclesiastical  division  called  a  Stake  of 
Zion,  over  which  a  President  and  two  Counselors 
preside.  Every  adult  male  Mormon  is  liable  to 
serve  as  a  missionary  for  two  or  more  years,  sub- 
ject to  a  call  from  the  First  Presidency  of  the 
Church.  Many  Latter-day  Saints  fill  two,  three 
and  four  two-year  missions.  In  fact,  as  we  under- 
stand the  matter,  every  Mormon  in  good  standing 
is  supposed  to  hold  himself  ready  to  obey  all  calls 
made  in  the  name  of  his  religion  and  his  God, 

13 


178  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 

through  the  First  Presidency  or  the  proper  sub- 
ordinate authority. 

The  Mormons  believe  in  baptism  for  the  dead, 
and  have  erected  and  are  erecting  magnificent 
temples  wherein  to  formally  make  covenants  with 
their  God  and  each  other,  and  to  perform  the 
various  ordinances  of  their  faith  both  for  the 
living  and  the  dead.  Their  temples  are  sacred 
structures.  There  is  one  at  St.  George,  in  south- 
ern Utah,  and  one  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
Territory  at  Logan,  while  a  grand  one  has  been 
in  course  of  construction  for  years  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  and  yet  it  is  not  finished.  A  fourth  temple 
is  also  in  course  of  construction  at  Manti,  in  San- 
pete  County.  All  these  temples  are  or  will  be 
noble  structures,  built  to  endure  the  vicissitudes 
of  time,  and  furnished  with  a  magnificence  becom- 
ing an  august  sanctuary  of  the  Most  High. 
Formerly  in  what  is  known  as  the  Endowment 
House,  in  Salt  Lake  City,  but  latterly  within  the 
temples,  plural  marriages  are  solemnized.  What 
the  world  calls  polygamy  the  Mormons  call 
plural  or  celestial  marriage.  It  is  well  known 
that  the  Mormons  believe  that  it  is  not  only  right 
and  proper,  but  that  under  certain  conditions  it 
is  obligatory  for  one  man  to  have  more  than  one 
wife  at  a  given  time.  The  Saints  believe,  too, 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  179 

that  a  marriage  performed  by  one  having  author- 
ity becomes  an  eternal  bond,  and  that  exaltation 
and  the  highest  degree  of  glory  in  the  heavens 
are  dependent  in  a  measure  upon  the  union  of 
men  and  women  in  marriage  upon  earth,  and 
upon  the  number  and  faithfulness  of  their 
progeny.  Not  every  male  Mormon  is  expected  or 
required  to  take  unto  himself  many  consorts. 
Plurality  of  wives  is  supposed  to  be  reserved  for 
those  Saints  wlio,  by  lives  of  more  perfect  purity 
and  faith,  make  themselves  worthy  of  enjoying 
the  highest  confidence.  The  Mormon  people  do 
not  approve  plural  marriage  because  of  a  love  of 
lust.  They  condemn  lechery  either  in  or  out  of 
the  marriage  relation  most  severely  and  unspar- 
ingly. They  even  hold  that  sexual  intercourse 
should  be  restricted  to  the  sole  purpose  of  propa- 
gating the  species,  and  the  man  who  marries 
many  women  is  expected  to  connubiate  with  them 
as  a  husband  only  for  the  object  of  procreation. 
They  religiously  regard  the  mother  of  many 
children  as  hallowed  in  a  high  degree,  and  they 
likewise  hold  the  father  of  many  sons  and  daugh- 
ters as  therefore  highly  honorable.  Their  plural 
marriages  are  contracted,  as  they  most  solemnly 
believe,  for  time  and  eternity,  and  are  professed- 
ly entered  into  for  purposes  quite  the  reverse  of 


180  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

lust,  as  a  pure  matter  of  religious  duty,  according 
to  a  .  command  of  God  given  through  their 
prophet,  Joseph. 

Mormon  plural  marriage  cannot  be  fairly  com- 
pared with  Mohammedan  or  Asiatic  polygamy. 
In  practice  the  Mormon  system  of  plurality  has 
nothing  in  common  with  oriental  plurality. 
Plural  wives  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  are  not  shut 
up  in  harems,  but  they  are  allowed  every  liberty, 
and  assigned  a  high  and  responsible  position  as 
the  conductors  of  a  family,  and  the  supports  of  a 
home,  after  fashion  of  the  American  type.  Gener- 
ally speaking  we  have  found  that  the  polygamists 
of  Utah  are  the  brightest,  strongest  and  most 
admirable  of  all  the  Mormon  people,  both  in  an 
intellectual  and  a  physical  sense.  Our  observa- 
tion also  proves  that  the  offspring  of  plural  mar- 
riages among  the  Mormons  are  by  no  means 
inferior  to  the  issue  of  monogamous  wedlock. 

As  a  consequence  of  the  unmolested  practice  of 
polygamy  in  Utah  for  many  years,  we  find  the 
leading  or  older  families  of  the  Territory  ex- 
tremely numerous,  and  generally  closely  related 
through  marriage.  We  take  it  that  this  in  great 
part  accounts  for  the  wonderful  fraternity  which 
exists  among  the  Saints,  and  their  union  upon  all 
questions  affecting  them  as  a  body.  The  whole 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  181 

Mormon  community  is  bound  together  by  a 
cordial  unity  of  sentiment,  belief  and  interest, 
which  is  especially  remarkable  in  this  age  of 
individual  aggression,  when  every  man's  hand 
throughout  the  world  at  large  seems  uplifted 
against  his  fellow-being. 

Among  themselves  the  Mormons  have  intro- 
duced an  excellent  system  of  co-operation  in 
manufacturing  enterprises  and  business  gener- 
ally. In  many  settlements  throughout  Utah 
there  is  a  co-operative  store  which  the  people 
own  and  control,  and  which  retails  all  sorts  of 
legitimate  merchandise.  Zion's  Co-operative  Mer- 
cantile Institution,  of  Salt  Lake,  is  a  great  and 
successful  wholesale  and  retail  concern,  with  a 
large  branch  house  at  Ogden.  All  of  these 
co-operative  institutions  are  worthy  monuments 
of  Mormon  thrift  and  business  prudence.  More- 
over, the  principles  of  co-operation,  which  the 
Mormons  adhere  to,  are  a  decided  advance  to- 
wards the  solution  of  the  general  contest  between 
capital  and  labor. 

As  a  rule  the  Mormons  own  their  own  homes, 
and  the  land  they  cultivate.  They  liberally  sup- 
port non-sectarian  public  schools,  and,  consider- 
ing the  comparative  newness  of  the  Territory,  the 
schools  of  Utah  are  creditable  in  the  extreme. 


182  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

Outside  of  Salt  Lake,  Ogden,  Logan  and  Provo 
cities,  the  people  generally  reside  in  small  towns, 
where  dram-shops  and  bawdy-houses  are  con- 
spicuous by  their  absence,  and  where  quiet,  thrift 
and  peace,  and  harmony  and  plenty  are  always 
to  be  found. 

In  the  matter  of  grand  and  imposing  scenery 
Utah  has  few  equals  in  all  the  world.  The  Terri- 
tory embraces  a  considerable  extent  of  lofty 
mountains.  Only  the  valleys  of  limited  area  are 
susceptible  of  cultivation  by  the  aid  of  irriga- 
tion. Great  Salt  Lake,  famous  as  the  Dead  Sea 
of  America,  is  in  the  midst  of  a  mammoth  basin 
right  in  the  backbone  of  the  American  continent. 
Upon  the  east  and  west,  Salt  Lake  Valley  and 
Salt  Lake  at  a  distance  are  enfiladed  by  lofty 
mountains,  whose  brows  are  covered  with  snow 
during  many  months  of  the  year.  The  climate 
in  this  wonderful  region  is  mild,  healthful  and 
usually  delightful,  and  it  would  be  hard  to  find  a 
more  inviting  country  for  the  tourist  or  health- 
seeker.  Between  Denver,  Colorado,  and  the  chief 
cities  of  Utah,  connecting  with  the  Southern  Pacific 
at  Ogden,  extends  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Rail- 
way, an  elegantly  and  thoroughly  well  equipped 
road,  running  through  some  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful, wild,  sublime  and  grotesque  scenery.  From 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY   DAY.  183 

Omaha  the  celebrated  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
runs  through  by  another  equally  atttactive  route 
to  Ogden,  where  its  branches  connect  and  extend 
south  almost  the  entire  length  of  the  Territory, 
and  north  through  Idaho  into  Montana.  Com- 
pleting the  great  transcontinental  line  from 
Omaha  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railway  connects  Ogden  with  San  Francisco,  and 
offers  many  inducements  to  the  traveler  and 
sight-seer.  Ogden  City  thus  occupies  the  position 
of  a  great  railroad  centre.  It  contains  some 
seven  or  eight  thousand  inhabitants,  is  growing 
rapidly,  sits  in  a  pleasant  locality  at  the  foot  of 
the  Wasatch  mountains,  near  the  confluence  of 
Weber  and  Ogden  rivers,  and  the  majestic  can- 
yons of  the  same  name.  At  a  little  distance 
southwest  of  the  city,  glistens  the  waters  of 
Great  Salt  Lake,  and  north  and  west  of  the  place 
extends  a  beautiful,  large  and  fertile  tract  of 
valley  land.  Ogden  has  ample  and  first-class 
hotel  accommodations,  and  it  is  only  a  few  hours' 
ride  on  the  Utah  Northern  to  Logan,  where  a 
completed,  large,  massive  Mormon  temple  raises 
its  turrets  high  towards  the  heavens.  Ogden  is 
the  commercial  key  to  Utah,  and  offers  un- 
bounded opportunities  to  capital  and  enterprise. 
The  rich  and  apparently  exhaustless  mineral 


184  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

resources  of  the  Territory  are  as  yet  only  in  the 
infancy  of  their  development,  and  gold  and 
silver  ore  have  been  discovered  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Ogden,  while  but  a  little  distance  from 
the  city,  up  in  the  Wasatch  mountains,  the  famous 
Ontario  mine  is  located.  Let  the  stranger  visit- 
ing Utah  be  sure  to  stop  at  Ogden  and  drive  up 
through  both  the  neighboring  grand  canyons; 
or,  if  he  has  an  eye  to  business,  let  him  survey 
the  multiform  inducement  which  Ogden  offers; 
she  is  destined  to  be  the  great  commercial  entre- 
pot of  this  vast  intermountain  region;  or,  if  he 
is  socially  inclined  and  desirous  of  observing 
the  conditions  of  life  in  Mormondom,  let  him 
mingle  with  the  typical  residents  of  Ogden. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Mormon  Problem. — Utah  Courts.-  Open   Venire. — The 
Crusade. 

|NE  of  the  greatest  of  all  the  masters  of 
statescraft  that  ever  lived  in  ancient  times, 
declared  that  no  government,  which  did 
not  assume  to  control  both  the  religion  and  the 
marriage  relations  of  its  subjects,  could  long  sur- 
vive. The  non- Mormons  or  Gentiles  of_  Utah 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  185 

practically,  though  perhaps  unconsciously,  accept 
this  declaration  as  a  fact  in  the  nature  of  things 
governmental.  It  is  well  known  that  the  Catholic 
church  has  and  does  claim  that  marriage  is  a 
holy  sacrament  which  of  right  belongs  to  ecclesi- 
astical rather  than  civil  administration.  As  we 
view  it,  the  Mormon  Church  practically  makes 
the  same  claim,  and  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  seems  to  have  been  designed  with 
a  view  of  exempting  ecclesiastical  affairs  from 
civil  jurisdiction.  But  in  our  opinion,  this  con- 
stitutional and  much  vaunted  divorce  of  church 
and  state  is  rather  apparent  than  real.  Through- 
out the  Union,  the  clergy  of  the  different  denom- 
inations are  a  public  factor  which  no  states- 
men could  safely  ignore  and  hope  to  prosper. 
The  Mormon  Church  makes  no  greater  claim  to 
specific  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  over  marriage 
and  over  the  management  of  its  membership 
than  the  Catholic  church  has  made  in  the  past,  , 
and,  more  or  less  covertly,  still  makes  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  Of  course  the  two  churches  differ 
widely  in  their  doctrines  and  dogmas,  but  the 
principles'upon  which  each  claims  authority  and 
specific  powers  are,  to  our  mind,  identical.  The 
Mormon  people  profess  to  pay  supreme  allegiance 
to  the  authority  and  will  of  God,  as  interpreted 


186  MEMOIRS    OF    MY   DAY. 

through  their  prophets  and  leaders;  they  are 
taught  and  believe  that  the  Constitution  of  the 
Union  was  inspired  by  the  Almighty;  their 
religion  obligates  them  to  be  loyal  to  their  coun- 
try and  to  "render  unto  Caesar  the  things  which 
are  Caesar's/'  but  they  maintain  that  when  the 
laws  of  men  come  in  contact  with  what  they 
individually  and  collectively  know  to  be  the  law 
of  God,  the  divine  statute  is  paramount  and  must 
be  first  respected.  It  is  in  part  because  God, 
represented  by  the  Priesthood,  is  thus  placed 
above  our  government  by  the  Mormons,  that  the 
Gentiles  or  anti -Mormons  of  Utah  call  them 
traitors,  aliens  and  rebels.  The  popular  convic- 
tion or  prejudice  against  polygamy,  of  course, 
attaches  to  the  plural  or  celestial  marriage  of  the 
Mormons,  and  the  celebrated  Edmunds  law  pro- 
viding a  penalty  of  fine  and  imprisonment 
for  polygamy,  and  the  act  of  living  in  a 
.  polygamous  condition,  or  cohabiting  with  more 
than  one  woman,  which  was  passed  by  Con- 
gress in  1882,  is  the  latest  embodiment  of 
popular  sentiment  against  a  plurality  of  wives. 
As  the  Mormons  honestly  maintain  plural  mar- 
riage as  a  part  of  their  religious  belief,  based 
upon  a  command  of  God,  which  they  can  only 
gnore  at  the  peril  of  their  eternal  salvation  and 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  187 

celestial  exaltation,  they  prefer  to  suffer  the  penal- 
ties imposed  by  the  most  radical  execution  of  the 
Edmunds  law,  rather  than  abandon  their  plural 
system,  repudiate  and  desert  aged  consorts,  and 
violate  their  most  solemn  religious  contracts  and 
sacred  covenants.  The  Mormons,  therefore,  insist 
upon  obeying  what  is  sincerely  considered  to  be 
the  law  of  God,  while  the  Gentiles  of  Utah,  partic- 
ularly, insist  upon  the  supremacy  of  the  laws 
of  Congress  relating  to  polygamy  and  unlawful 
cohabitation.  The  motives  of  those  who  uphold 
the  Edmunds  law  are  various;  but  few,  if  any,  of 
its  Utah  supporters  pretend  to  be  actuated  by 
motives  of  abstract  public  morality,  while  the 
majority  profess  to  uphold  the  law  out  of  a 
regard  to  loyalty  to  the  old  flag,  but  in  reality 
the  motive  of  all  is  to  destroy  the  political  and 
ecclesiastical  autonomy  of  the  Mormon  people, 
and  thus  to  dominate  the  material  and  political 
affairs  of  the  rich  Territory.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  the  Gentiles  or  non-Mormons  of  Utah 
form  a  very  small  minority  of  the  citizens  of  the 
Territory,  and  of  course  they  share  the  fate  com- 
mon to  all  minorities  in  a  republic,  and  are 
through  the  political  union  of  the  Mormons, 
which  they  cannot  destroy  by  argument  or  per- 
suasion, debarred  from  participating  in  the  local 


188  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY 

Territorial  government.  But  at  the  same  time 
they  have  a  monopoly  of  all  the  Federal  offices  in 
Utah,  which  ought  to  satisfy  them,  the  Mormons 
very  reasonably  think.  The  Federal  courts  of 
the  Territory  are  exclusively  in  the  hands  of  the 
opponents  of  the  Mormons,  and  these  courts 
have  general  jurisdiction  in  all  criminal  and 
civil  cases  beyond  or  within  the  reach  of  the 
police  courts.  All,  or  nearly  all  of  the  jury  panels 
by  an  open  venire  system  are  filled  deliberately 
and  purposely  exclusively  from  among  the  known 
opponents  of  the  Mormons;  so  the  Latter-day 
Saints  plausibly  maintain  that  the  judiciary  of  the 
Territory  is  to  that  extent  a  mere  partisan  engine. 
This  circumstance  has  undoubtedly  brought  the 
Federal  courts  into  contempt  among  the  masses. 
The  various  interpretations  and  apparently  con- 
flicting constructions  put  upon  the  meaning  of 
the  law  against  cohabitation,  by  different  Federal 
judges,  who  have  taken  pains  to  make  their 
hostility  to  the  Mormons  conspicuous,  has  con- 
firmed this  popular  contempt,  and  away  down 
deep  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  generally,  is 
the  profound  conviction  that  a  Mormon  can 
obtain  little  or  no  justice  under  the  laws  claimed 
to  be  so  palpably  prostituted  by  an  avowedly 
*  and  practically  partisan  judicial  administration. 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  189 

Almost  invariably  the  prosecution  of  Mormons, 
charged  with  polygamy  and  unlawful  cohabita- 
tion, is  made  upon  the  naturally  reluctant  testi- 
mony of  the  loving  wives  and  children  of  the 
alleged  offenders.  Recently,  in  the  course  of  a 
trial  in  Provo,  before  the  First -District  Court,  the 
plural  wife  of  the  defendant,  accused  of  unlawful 
cohabitation,  was  placed  upon  the  witness  stand 
and  asked  to  give  the  testimony  necessary  to  send 
her  beloved  husband  to  prison.  At  first  she 
refused  to  testify,  but  her  accused  husband  was 
permitted  to  persuade  her  to  comply  with  the 
order  of  the  court,  and  then,  in  her  endeavor  to 
answer  the  fatal  questions,  she  broke  entirely 
down,  and  the  prosecuting  attorney  was  obliged 
to  excuse  her  temporarily.  She  left  the  witness 
stand  with  hot  tears  coursing  from  her  eyes  in  a 
convulsion  of  grief.  In  this  class  of  cases  similar 
scenes  are  of  frequent  occurrence,  and  they  appeal 
strongly  to  the  humane  sentiments  of  mankind 
in  favor  of  the  accused,  and  against  the  wisdom 
of  the  law. 

Up  to  the  present  time  in  the  neighborhood  of 
two  hundred  Mormons  have  been  convicted  of 
unlawful  cohabitation,  and  some  seven  or  eight 
of  polygamy.  The  extreme  penalty  for  cohabita- 
tion is  six  months'  imprisonment  and  $300  fine, 


190  MEMOIRS   OF    MY   DAY. 

but  the  courts  have  so  interpreted  the  law  that  a 
Mormon  who  has  lived  with  more  than  one  wife 
continuously  for  a  year  or  more,  may  be  indicted 
for  each  day  or  other  distinct  interval  of  time, 
and  upon  each  indictment  fined  and  imprisoned 
to  the  utmost  extent  of  the  law.  This  makes  the 
penalty  in  such  cases  dependent  wholly  upon  the 
whim  of  the  prosecution,  and  the  man  who  has 
continuously  cohabited  with  plural  wives  for  a 
year  might  be  imprisoned  a  whole  lifetime  for  the 
offense.  The  most  of  those  who  have  been  con- 
victed for  unlawful  cohabitation  are  old  men 
about  ready  to  totter  into  the  grave,  who  formed 
their  plural  relations  a  generation  or  more  ago, 
before  there  was  any  operative  law  against  polyg- 
amy. The  wives  of  these  venerable  men  are  in 
many  cases  in  their  second  infancy,  and  it  seems 
cruel  and  useless  to  disrupt  their  households  by 
imprisonment.  The  prosecuting  attorney  and  the 
courts  offer  immunity  from  punishment  to  all 
Mormons  convicted  of  unlawful  cohabitation  if 
they  will  promise  to  obey  the  Edmunds  law  in 
the  future,  but  as  this  promise  involves  a  repu- 
diation of  faithful  wives,  who  have,  in  most  cases, 
borne  the  accused  husband  a  family  of  children, 
it  is  deemed  unmanly  and  dishonorable  to  make 
it,  and  moreover  such  a  promise  is  looked  upon 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  191 

as  disregardful  of  God's  requirements.  Under 
these  circumstances  only  about  six  or  eight  vic- 
tims of  the  Edmunds  law  have  purchased  immu- 
nity from  imprisonment  by  promises;  in  other 
words,  not  one  in  twenty  of  the  Mormons  con- 
victed of  polygamy  or  unlawful  cohabitation  will 
pledge  themselves  to  comply  in  the  future  with  a 
law  which  they  regard  as  utterly  vicious;  nine- 
teen out  of  twenty  will  suffer  imprisonment  and 
would  probably  even  forfeit  life  itself  rather  than 
be  recreant  to  what  they  so  sincerely  and  conscien- 
tiously consider  to  be  a  religious  and  a  manly  duty. 
Yet  this  refusal  to  promise  obedience  to  the  law 
against  plural  relations  does  not  mean  that  of  the 
Mormons  convicted  nearly  all  intend  to  violate 
the  law  deliberately  in  the  future;  as  a  rule  men 
convicted  of  unlawful  cohabitation  intend  to  pay 
due  deference  to  the  law  as  long  as  it  remains  a 
law,  but  they  merely  refuse  the  Edmunds  enact- 
ment, deemed  so  unjust  and  cruel,  the  indorse: 
ment  which  a  promise  would  imply,  and  at  the 
same  time  reserve  to  themselves  the  right  to  sup- 
port their  plural  families  and  obey  what  are  held 
to  be  the  commands  of  God.  As  a  rule,  those 
Mormons  who  have  suffered  imprisonment  for  or 
been  accused  of  polygamy  and  unlawful  cohabi- 
tation are  men  noted  for  their  fair  dealing,  integ- 


192  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY 

rity,  and  general  law-abiding,  thrifty  and  temper- 
ate character.  In  everything  they  have  been 
good  citizens,  and  lived  exemplary  lives  without 
ever  having  been  called  into  court  to  defend 
themselves  against  any  charge  whatsoever,  except 
the  practice  of  plural  marriage  in  obedience  to 
an  undoubted  conscientious  conviction,  but  in 
violation  of  a  law  sincerely  believed  to  be  wicked, 
unconstitutional,  and  in  diametrical  opposition  to 
the  express  fiat  of  the  Almighty. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

Three  Souls  with  but  a  Single  Thought;   Three  Hearts  that 
beat  as  one. 

fHE  Utah  enemies  of  Mormon  plural  or 
celestial  marriage,  base  their  opposition  to 
that  style  of  matrimony  upon  a  variety  of 
grounds.  They  say  that  polygamy  degrades 
womanhood,  invites  to  beastlike  indulgence  in 
sexual  pleasures,  and  breaks  the  hearts  of  first 
wives  and  others,  as  they  are  supplanted  by  new 
brides;  that,  moreover,  polygamy  is  a  nasty  and 
immoral  relic  of  barbarism,  and  that  in  Utah  it 
is  the  cement  of  an  alien,  oriental,  combined 
religious  and  political  system.  The  average 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  193 

reader,  accustomed  to  monogamic  surroundings, 
is  very  apt  to  accept  these  declarations  as  true, 
self- evidently  and  necessarily.  Then  follows  the 
impression  that  the  Mormons  are  indeed  a  set  of 
monsters.  If,  however,  the  reader  has  had  a 
cosmopolitan  experience,  or  will  pause  to  study 
what  is  to  him  an  unknown  matter,  he  will 
modify  his  views.  The  Mormons,  generally, 
do  not  believe  that  plural  marriage  degrades 
womanhood ;  they  candidly  and  earnestly  believe 
that  the  contrary  is  the  case.  Only  men  who  live 
exceptionally  pure  lives,  and  have  attained  a 
degree  of  good  standing  in  the  Church,  and  are 
otherwise  generally  well  qualified  to  perform 
the  duties  of  a  husband  and  father,  are  pre- 
sumed to  be  allowed  to  enter  the  holy  order 
of  celestial  marriage.  The  Mormon  doctrine 
and  ecclesiastical  laws  concerning  marriage 
are  noteworthy,  because  they  would,  if  strictly 
carried  out,  remove  the  stigma  of  sensuality 
from  the  plural  relationship.  In  the  first  place, 
it  must  be  remembered  the  Mormons  hold  that 
marriage,  properly  solemnized  between  competent 
parties,  is  eternal ;  that  the  great  object  of  matri- 
mony is  a  propagation  of  the  species;  that  sexual 
intercourse  must  be  indulged  only  for  purposes 
of  procreation;  that  no  married  man  shall  take 

14 


194  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

a  second  or  plural  wife  without  the  free  consent 
of  the  first,  nor  a  third  without  the  consent  of  the 
first  two,  and  so  on ;  that  exaltation  in  the  world 
to  come  depends,  in  a  considerable  measure,  upon 
the  number  of  the  members  of  a  man's  house- 
hold in  this  world,  and  that  unmarried  adults 
who  go  in  a  single  state  to  the  next  world,  no 
matter  how  pure  their  lives  may  have  been  on 
earth,  will  be  deprived  of  their  chief  celestial 
glory,  and  be  reduced  to  the  position  of  servants 
or  ministering  angels  of  those  who,  by  marriage, 
have  fulfilled  a  better  destiny  in  their  mundane 
career.  All  of  these  propositions  are  thoroughly 
believed  by  the  Mormons,  and  the  result  is  that 
a  plurality  of  wives  or  celestial  marriage  is 
redeemed  from  its  usual  character  in  theory  at 
least,  and  surrounded  by  the  halo  of  sanguine 
and  lofty  faith.  This,  the  Mormons  claim,  is  the 
rule  in  practice,  and  our  observation  confirms  it. 
But  there  are  exceptions  to  this  rule.  We  could 
name  first  wives  that  have  died  of  broken  hearts 
because  their  husbands  took  other  consorts,  and 
then,  in  violation  of  their  covenants  with  God 
and  the  laws  of  plural  union,  neglected  or  even 
abused  the  first  wife,  while  the  last  one  was  over- 
whelmed with  attentions.  We  also  know  of  one 
or  two  cases  in  several  hundred  that  have  come 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  195 

to  our  notice,  where  the  professed  Mormon  has 
taken  several  wives  through  motives  of  lust,  but 
these  cases  are  rare  indeed.  The  frequent  allega- 
tion that  plural  marriage  is  a  nasty  and  immoral 
relic  of  barbarism  is  not  necessarily  true.  To 
the  pure,  all  things  are  pure.  Wives  of  polyga- 
mists  in  Utah  are  not  shut  up  in  harems,  but 
they  are  given  the  utmost  freedom;  the  ballot 
was  placed  in  their  hands,  and  in  performing 
their  duties  in  a  plural  household  they  usually 
acquire  a  remarkable  degree  of  independence, 
healthy  hardihood  and  wifely  prudence.  As 
mothers,  they  are  wondrously  prolific,  and  their 
children  are  generally  healthful  and  hardy. 
Sexual  relations  are  not  immoral  in  themselves; 
it  is  the  circumstances  that  surround  intercourse 
between  the  sexes,  which  give  moral  or  immoral 
color  to  the  relationship.  The  rights  and  honors 
of  plural  wifehood  among  the  Mormons  are  made 
identical  with  those  of  monogamous  wifehood. 
The  obligations  of  a  polygamist  to  all  his  wives 
are  equally  sacred ;  he  must  provide  for  each  one 
and  care  for  the  children  of  each ;  he  must  also 
love,  honor  and  cherish  each,  and  all  these  duties 
and  obligations  are  lived  up  to  the  more  scrupu- 
lously from  the  fact  that  he  earnestly  believes  his 
household  and  marital  relations  will  be  eternal, 


196  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

if  he  is  faithful  to  the  end.  That  plural  mar- 
riage is  the  cement  which  holds  together  the 
fabric  of  Mormonism,  is  as  absurd  as  it  is  pal- 
pably untrue,  if  our  experience,  reason  and  obser- 
vation are  not  greatly  and  mutually  at  fault.  The 
leading  Gentiles  and  anti-Mormon  chiefs  of  Utah 
freely  acknowledge  that  the  legal  assault  upon 
polygamy  is  made  with  a  view  to  breaking  down 
the  separate  political  autonomy  of  the  Mormon 
people,  but  the  Edmunds  law  has  failed  to  accom- 
plish anything  in  that  direction;  a  few  hundred 
polygamists,  including  some  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Church,  have  been  disfranchised,  driven  into 
exile,  or  compelled  to  remain  in  hiding,  and 
many  more  have  been  sent  to  prison,  but  the  en- 
tire Mormon  populace  has  united  in  denouncing 
all  this  as  the  result  of  persecution,  and  in  regard- 
ing the  victims  of  the  law  as  blessed  martyrs, 
while  the  sufferings  of  innocent  wives  and  blame- 
less children  have  aroused  the  resentment  and 
kindled  the  sympathy  of  every  manly  heart 
among  them.  Plural  marriage  complicates  the 
Mormon  question,  but  long  before  polygamy  was 
announced  as  a  doctrine  of  the  Church,  the  Mor- 
mons were  harassed  and  persecuted  because  of 
their  unpopular  faith  and  extreme  religious  devo- 
tion, quite  as  much  as  at  present.  The  great 


MEMOIRS   OP    MY    DAY.  197 

Mormon  prophet,  Joseph  Smith,  was  murdered 
by  a  mob  long  before  polygamy  was  known  to 
the  world  as  a  tenet  of  Mormonism.  There  is  no 
doubt  in  our  mind  but  that  polygamy,  popularly 
practiced,  as  monogamy  generally  is/without  the 
great  restraints  and  solemn  covenants  of  a  pro- 
found religious  faith,  would  tend  to  social  demor- 
alization, but  the  intensity  and  the  peculiarity  of 
the  Mormon  creed  redeems  plural  marriage,  prac- 
ticed honestly,  from  its  chief  objectionable  fea- 
tures, and,  the  Mormons  claim,  really  exalts  it  into 
a  marvel  of  social  regeneration.  It  is  sometimes 
maintained  that  polygamy  violates  the  innate 
attributes  of  womanhood  and  extinguishes  a 
cardinal  feature  of  the  female  heart,  but  we  find 
that  the  truth  or  falsity  of  this  proposition  de- 
pends wholly,  or  at  least  chiefly,  upon  education, 
training  and  the  religious  views  and  influences 
under  which  women  live  or  are  reared.  Mormon- 
ism  honestly  and  conscientiously  espoused  and 
faithfully  adhered  to  modifies  human  nature 
itself;  eradicates  some  native  human  sentiments 
and  passions  to  a  great  extent,  and  develops  new 
emotions  and  aspirations  which  are  almost  foreign 
to  the  balance  of  mankind.  Extended,  careful 
and  close  observation  and  enquiry  among  the 
Mormons  will  convince  any  intelligent  and  pene- 


198  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 

trating  personal  enquirer  that  this  is  true  beyond 
question. 

A  great  deal  of  popular  prejudice  in  favor  of 
enforced  monogamy,  and  against  the  plural  mar- 
riage system  of  the  Mormons,  is  aroused  by  por- 
traying beautiful  and  even  ideal  pictures  of  the 
American  home  and  its 

'  Two  souls  with  but  a  single  thought, 
Two  hearts  that  beat  as  one," 

as  contrasted  with  an  altogether  unfairly  dis- 
torted plural  household ;  and,  as  we  understand 
the  subject,  neither  the  Mormon  system  nor  the 
Mormon  people  would  disparage,  in  the  least,  the 
happy,  holy  and  complete  union  which  is  some- 
times, but  unfortunately  not  always,  the  result  of 
the  monogamous  marriage.  Certainly,  far  is  it  from 
the  writer's  heart  to  deprecate  the  home  hallowed 
by  the  loving  fusion  of  a  true,  chaste  husband 
and  one  pure,  devoted  wife  into  the  unity  of  per- 
fect wedlock.  Inviolable  in  its  sanctity,  pleasing 
in  the  sight  of  God  and  admirable  in  the  estima- 
tion of  all  men,  at  all  times,  among  the  Mormons 
as  well  as  among  the  Gentiles,  must  ever  be  a 
well-ordered,  harmonious,  monogamous  domestic 
altar,  around  which  one  father  and  one  mother 
gather  their  mutual  offspring  or  live  in  peace 


MEMOIRS   OP    MY    DAY.  199 

and  purity,  ever  tender  and  true  to  each  other  in 
all  the  varied  family  relationships,  and,  above  all 
and  over  all,  faithful  and  obedient  to  the 
Almighty's  laws  and  every  moral,  social  and 
physical  amenity  of  life.  The  plural  marriage  of  the 
Mormons  does  not  profess  to  attack  such  a  marital 
monogamous  family  condition  to  destroy  it.  Mor- 
mon polygamy  only  contemplates  a  remedy  for 
faults  and  evils  that  have  been  coeval  with  monog- 
amy; it  does  not  ostensibly  seek  to  undermine 
or  vitiate  the  virtues,  joys,  glories  or  felicities  of  a 
properly  ordained  American  home.  If  it  did,  we 
would  execrate  it  with  every  drop  of  blood  in  our 
being;  but  while  we  admire  and  praise,  and  would 
protect  even  with  our  life,  the  principles  which 
unite  one  man  and  one  woman  in  graceful  and 
blissful  bonds,  is  there  any  reason  why  we  should 
not  at  least  equally  respect  and  legally  tolerate 

Three  souls  with  but  a  single  thought, 
Three  hearts  that  beat  as 


The  identity  of  offspring  and  insurmountable 
physical  laws,  as  well  as  the  fiat  of  God,  render 
it  immoral  and  wrong  for  a  woman  to  have  more 
than  one  husband  at  the  same  time,  but  if  two 
women  or  more  can  love  each  other  without  jeal- 
ousy or  other  flaw,  and  with  each  other's  free 


200  MEMOIRS    OP    MY    DAY. 

consent,  and  even  desire  to  be  pure  and  true 
wives  to  the  one  true  man,  in  the  honest  expecta- 
tion of  eternal  exaltation,  and  a  perpetuation  of 
the  plural  relation  in  the  transports  of  immortal- 
ity beyond  the  veil,  should  the  theoretical  monog- 
amist desire  to  interfere?  And  if  so,  why? 
We  have  heard  much  about  the  real  and  imagin- 
ary horrors  of  plural  marriage — and  no  one  will 
deny  that  plural  households  have  been  the  occa- 
sional abodes  of  misery,  just  as  monogamous 
households  have  been  and  are  very  frequently  the 
scenes  of  revolting  marital  wretchedness  and  woe 
— but  there  are  happy  plural  homes  among  the 
Mormons,  or  at  least  there  were  such  in  existence 
before  the  Edmunds  law  was  put  in  force  and 
many  plural  fathers  consigned  to  prison  or  driven 
into  exile.  Let  us  take  an  impartial  view  of  the 
brighter  side  of  plurality  as  it  has  existed  here  in 
the  Great  Salt  Lake  basin.  It  is  not  fair  to  look 
only  at  the  darker  side  in  forming  our  opinion 
regarding  the  matter. 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  201 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

A  Symposium  of  Personalities. — Conclusion. — Au  Revoir. 

anticipation  of  the  publication  of  this  book, 
the  author  has  the  pleasure  of  acknowledg- 
ing the  courtesies  of  several  hundred  sub- 
scribers who  were  willing  to  thus  aid  him  to  meet 
the  expense  of  publication.  Upon  the  list  of 
these  friends  are  the  names  of  Mormons  and 
Gentiles  in  about  equal  ratio  to  the  respective 
local  Mormon  and  Gentile  population. 

During  the  author's  incarceration  in  Weber 
County  Jail,  which  is  located  in  the  rear  and  base- 
ment of  the  Court  House,  at  Ogden,  he  has  to 
acknowledge  the  receipt  of  many  courtesies  at 
the  hands  of  the  County  Court,  County  Clerk  C. 
C.  Richards,  Sheriff  Gilbert  Belnap,  H.  H.  Rolapp, 
Esq.,  and  a  multitude  of  country  friends. 

Through  the  regular  and  kind  service  of  Mr.  J. 
A.  Lambert,  whose  especial  care  deserves  especial 
mention,  the  prisoner  was  provided  with  excel- 
lent tonsorial  facilities. 

Mr.  A.  W.  Millgate  and  Mr.  E.  H.  Anderson, 
the  incarcerated  editor's  former  associates  on  the 
Herald,  were  ever  ready  to  perform  a  kindly  office 
for  their  less  fortunate  friend. 


202  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

Mr.  E.  H.  Anderson  has  long  been  the  business 
manager  of  the  Herald,  and  also  Superintendent 
of  Public  Schools  in  Weber  County,  Utah.  He 
is  yet  a  young  man,  and  procured  all  of  his  educa- 
tion in  the  Territory.  He  fills  the  duties  of  his 
public  office  ably  and  efficiently,  and  his  personal 
character  is  that  of  a  bright,  pure  and  honest 
man.  He  is  a  Mormon  from  training  and  con- 
viction. 

It  may  not  be  wholly  improper  to  note  the 
author's  impression  of  some  of  the  cotemporane- 
ously  prominent  men  of  Ogden,  and  Utah  at  large. 

President  John  Taylor,  the  present  chief  leader 
of  the  Mormons,  is  a  venerable  man,  nearly 
eighty  years  of  age.  It  may  be  said  that  he  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Mormon  system.  By  virtue  of 
his  position  at  the  head  of  the  Church,  his  ex- 
pressed will  is  more  potent  among  the  Mormons 
than  that  of  any  other  authority  in  Utah.  He  is 
a  wise  but  a  poor  man,  and  his  management  of 
the  Church  has  been  successful  in  a  marked 
degree.  Born  in  Westmorland  County,  Eng- 
land, November  1st,  1808,  he  secured  a  common 
school  education,  and  became  a  local  Methodist 
preacher.  In  1832,  he  migrated  from  his  native 
land  to  Canada.  There  he  became  noted  as  a 
great  reform  preacher,  and  was  finally  converted 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  203 

to  Mormonism.  Since  then  his  whole  life  has 
been  spent  in  the  service  of  the  Latter-day 
Church,  with  the  history  of  which  his  name  has 
been  always  prominently  identified.  He  filled 
many  important  missions  in  Europe  with  the 
most  gratifying  success,  and  was  wounded  in 
Carthage  Jail  when  the  great  Mormon  prophet, 
Joseph  Smith,  was  assassinated  by  a  mob.  When 
President  Brigham  Young  died,  John  Taylor  was 
president  of  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve  Apostles. 
And  as  such  he  became  the  practical  head  of  the 
Church,  but  it  was  not  until  1880  that  he  was 
formally  announced  as  "Prophet,  Seer  and  Reve- 
lator,"  and  as  such  the  First  President  of  the 
Church. 

President  John  Taylor  cannot  fairly  be  com- 
pared with  the  illustrious  late  President,  Brigham 
Young.  While  these  two  great  First  Presidents 
were  richly  endowed  with  many  noble  qualities 
in  common,  yet  they  must  be  considered  essen- 
tially different  in  their  greatness,  because  they 
both  seem  to  have  been  especially  prepared,  and 
specifically  qualified  for  leadership  under  different 
circumstances.  President  Brigham  Young  has 
been  appropriately  called  the  Moses  of  the  Mor- 
mons. His  talents  eminently  well  qualified  him 
for  a  leader  upon  such  an  occasion  as  the  exodus 


204  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

of  the  Saints  from  the  States,  the  settlement  of 
Utah  and  the  building  of  a  broad  foundation  of 
a  mighty  colony.  And  President  John  Taylor 
seems  to  have  been  especially  qualified  to  take  up 
the  great  work  where  his  stalwart,  herculean  pre- 
decessor left  it. 

Benign  and  just,  bold,  vigorous  and  courageous 
in  character,  President  Taylor  is  personally  a 
thoroughly  accomplished  man,  full  of  profound 
earnestness,  and  overflowing  with  the  genuine 
milk  of  human  kindness.  He  has  been  not  only 
a  safe  and  sure  guide,  but  also  a  true  father  to 
the  Mormon  people,  who  properly  hold  his  name 
in  the  highest  esteem  and  reverence  and  love. 

Hon.  George  Q.  Cannon,  the  first  counselor, 
and  nephew  of  President  Taylor,  and  distin- 
guished as  the  former  Delegate  to  Congress  from 
Utah,  is  the  second  in  authority  among  the  Mor- 
mons. He  was  born  in  Liverpool,  England, 
January  llth,  1827,  and  came  to  this  country 
wich  his  parents  when  he  was  yet  a  small  boy, 
and  when  the  headquarters  of  the  Saints  was  at 
Nauvoo.  At  an  early  day  he  was  left  an  orphan, 
and  later  on  he  learned  the  printing^  business. 
In  1847,  he  came  to  Utah,  and  two  years  after 
proceeded  to  California,  and  thence  to  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  where  he  performed  a  most  success- 


MEMOIRS    OF   MY    DAY.  205 

ful  mission,  introducing  the  Gospel  among  the 
natives,  mastering  the  Kanaka  tongue,  and  trans- 
lating the  Book  of  Mormon  into  that  language. 
In  1854,  he  returned  to  Salt  Lake  Valley  and 
performed  a  number  of  missions  with  success,  and 
credit  to  himself.  He  established  a  paper  in  Cali- 
fornia, and  then  for  awhile  was  editor  of  the 
Deseret  News.  Subsequently,  he  became  private 
secretary  to  President  Young,  and,  in  the  fall  of 
1872,  he  was  elected  Delegate  to  Congress,  where 
he  served  the  Territory  with  much  ability  and 
fidelity,  until  after  the  passage  of  the  Edmunds 
law.  In  many  respects  .he  is  a  remarkable  man 
— unusually  adroit  and  perfectly  urbane,  scholarly, 
prudent,  honest,  and  moreover  thoroughly  well 
acquainted  with  affairs  of  the  world. 

Hon.  Joseph  F.  Smith,  the  second  counselor  to 
President  Taylor,  and  a  son  of  Hyrum  Smith,  the 
first  Patriarch  of  the  Church,  is  the  third  in 
authority  among  the  Mormons.  He  was  born  at 
Far  West,  in  Missouri,  in  1838,  about  the  time  of 
the  expulsion  of  the  Mormons  from  that  State  by 
mob  violence.  He  grew  up  amid  the  terribly 
stirring  scenes  that  preceeded  and  followed  the 
martyrdom  of  his  father,  and  his  uncle,  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
filled  a  mission  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  with 


206  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

gratifying  success.  Later  he  went  to  England  in 
the  service  of  the  Church.  In  1867,  he  became 
one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  since  then  he  has 
served  several  times  in  the  Legislature,  and  per- 
formed many  important  missions  for  the  Church. 
He  possesses  an  ardent  sentient  nature,  is  an 
eloquent  speaker  and  writer. 

President  Taylor  and  his  counselors,  Cannon 
and  Smith,  are  at  present  in  retirement  to  avoid 
processes  of  the  Federal  courts,  their  alleged  of- 
fenses being  polygamous  or  unlawful  cohabitation. 

The  next  in  authority  among  the  Mormons 
are  the  Twelve  Apostles.  Albert  Carrington, 
lately  one  of  their  number,  was  excommunicated 
not  long  ago,  and  the  vacancy  thus  caused  has 
not  yet  been  filled. 

Apostle  Wilford  Woodruff  is  the  president  of 
the  Twelve.  He  is  also  Church  Historian,  and 
has  the  custody  of  the  archives  of  the  Church.  He 
was  born  on  the  first  of  March,  1807,  in  the  State 
of  Connecticut,  and  is  therefore  over  a  year  older 
than  President  Taylor.  It  was  not  until  the  year 
1833  that  he  became  a  Mormon.  Since  then  his 
life  has  been  chiefly  spent  in  mission  work  and 
in  laying  the  granite  foundation  of  the  future  of 
Utah.  He  springs  from  the  grand  old  Puritan 
stock,  and  his  whole  life  has  been  a  noble  ex- 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  207 

emplification  of  purity,  fidelity  and  firm  adher- 
ence to  principle. 

Apostle  Franklin  D.  Richards  was  born  in 
Massachusetts,  April  2d,  1821.  He  also  springs 
from  illustrious  Puritan  stock.  His  boyhood  was 
spent  at  hard  manual  labor,  which  he  performed 
to  aid  his  parents  and  secure  himself  much 
coveted  educational  privileges.  His  frank,  stu- 
dious, enquiring,  conscientious  turn  of  mind  pre- 
pared him  early  for  the  reception  of  the  Latter- 
day  Gospel,  and  he  was  baptized  June  3d,  1838. 
That  same  year  he  left  his  native  town  for  Far 
West,  Missouri,  where  he  arrived  in  due  time. 
Shortly  afterwards  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
Church  and  has  filled  many  important  missions 
with  distinction  and  fidelity.  He  came  to  Salt 
Lake  Valley  in  1848,  accompanied  by  his  amiable 
and  admirable  wife,  Mrs.  Jane  S.  Richards,  an 
excellent  and  devoted  woman;  and  they  together 
endured  the  pressing  hardships  which  all  the 
first  settlers  of  the  Territory  were  exposed  to.  On 
the  twelfth  of  February,  1849,  he  was  ordained 
an  Apostle,  and  soon  after  he  was  summoned 
upon  a  mission  to  England,  where  he  presided 
over  the  affairs  of  the  Church,  and  won  the  most 
brilliant  laurels  in  the  performance  of  his  holy 
calling.  Subsequently,  his  life  has  been  one  con- 


208  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

tinual  series  of  splendid  and  laborious  services 
for  the  Church,  and  for  Utah.  He  has  been 
several  times  elected  a  member  of  the  Territorial 
Legislature,  and  his  masterly  mind  and  great 
experience  gave  him  high  rank  as  a  legislator. 
Shortly  after  his  return  from  a  glorious  Euro- 
pean mission,  in  1869,  he  was  elected  Pro- 
bate Judge  of  Weber  County,  and  in  May  of 
that  year  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Ogden, 
where  he  still  resides.  Ogden  City  was  just  then 
in  need  of  the  inspiring  influences  of  a  great  and 
cultured  mind,  and  the  faithful,  refined,  and 
energetic  Apostle  Richards  devoted  himself  with 
his  accustomed  zeal  and  success  to  the  inter- 
ests of  the  city,  and  the  well-being  of  the  people 
of  Weber  County.  He  founded  a  daily  news- 
paper, advanced  educational  prospects,  wrote, 
preached  and  labored  personally  to  promote  the 
diffusion  of  culture,  refinement  and  moral  worth. 
He  was  Probate  Judge  of  Weber  County  contin- 
uously from  1869  until  September,  1883,  and 
proved  beyond  question  the  possession  of  the  rarest 
judicial  qualities.  Overflowing  with  spontaneous 
goodness  of  heart,  courteous,  humane,  generous, 
pure,  scholarly  and  truly  great  and,  noble  in  all 
his  attributes,  the  great  Apostle,  now  nearly 
sixty-six  years  of  age,  is  still  in  the  prime  of 


MEMOIRS  OF  MY  DAY,  209 

physical  and  intellectual  vigor,  a  grand  and 
gracious  type  of  august  manhood. 

Apostle  Lorenzo  Snow,  born  April  3d,  1814,  in 
Portage  County,  Ohio,  is  one  of  the  most  able, 
scholarly  and  accomplished  of  the  living  great 
Mormon  leaders.  In  every  respect  he  is  a  model 
disciple  of  the  Savior.  He  is  at  present  under- 
going, in  the  Utah  Penitentiary,  an  eighteen 
months'  sentence  for  alleged  unlawful  cohabita- 
tion. Up  to  the  time  of  his  incarceration,  from 
the  early  day  when  he  first  embraced  the  latter- 
day  Gospel,  his  life  has  been  passed  in  serving 
the  Mormon  Church  and  people  with  unflinching 
zeal  and  happy  success.  His  deportment  and 
moral  attitude  before  the  judge  who  sent  him  to 
prison  were  dignified  and  in  heroic  consonance 
with  his  life-long  professions.  His  speech  before 
the  court  when  he  was  sentenced  for  the  only 
offense  which  he  was  probably  ever  charged  with, 
was  typical  of  the  modest  and  exalted  spirit  of 
the  man  and  Apostle.  Noth withstanding  his  age, 
he  bears  his  imprisonment  patiently  and  well. 
As  a  missionary,  a  legislator,  and  a  pioneer 
founder  of  Utah,  his  name  will  ever  live  in  his- 
tory, hallowed  by  the  love  and  veneration  of  the 
whole  Mormon  people. 

President  D.  H.  Wells,  born  in  Oneida  County, 

15 


210  MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY. 

New  York  State,  October  27th,  1814,  is  famous  in 
the  history  of  the  Mormon  Church,  and  his  name 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  settle- 
ment and  gradual  progress  of  Utah,  from  the 
earliest  times-  down  to  the  present  day.  He 
became  identified  with  the  Mormons  away  back 
in  the  days  when  Nauvoo  was  in  its  primal  pros- 
perity. When  Nauvoo  fell,  and  the  Mormon 
exodus  began,  he  was  the  last  to  leave  the 
doomed  city.  He  came  to  Utah  with  the  pioneers 
as  aide-de-camp  to  President  Brigham  Young, 
and  since  then  he  has  been  second  counselor  to 
the  First  President  of  the  Church,  member  of  the 
Legislature,  Superintendent  of  Public  Works, 
Lieutenant-General  of  the  Utah  militia,  Mayor 
of  Salt  Lake  City  for  several  terms,  and  in  the 
meanwhile  he  has  performed  several  foreign 
missions.  President  Wells  springs  from  an  illus- 
trious and  patriotic  American  ancestry,  and  his 
life  has  been  fruitful,  successful  and  eventful, 
indeed.  He  and  Hon.  John  W.  Young  are  coun- 
selors to  the  Twelve. 

Apostle  Francis  M.  Lyman,  was  born  in  the 
State  of  Illinois,  January  12th,  1840.  He  is  a 
son  of  the  distinguished  late  Mormon  Apostle 
Amasa  Lyman,  who  was  a  second  cousin  of 
Henry  Ward  Beecher  and  the  noted  Harriet 


MEMOI&S   OP   MY   DAY.  211 

Beecher  Stowe.  The  present  Apostle  is  a  man  of 
large  caliber  and  great  intellectual  ability.  He 
has  served  the  Church  with  remarkable  fidelity 
for  many  years  in  many  different  capacities,  and 
has  especially  distinguished  himself  as  the  presi- 
ding officer  of  the  lower  branch  of  the  Utah 
Legislature.  His  forefathers  and  kinsmen,  for 
several  generations  back,  have  been  foremost,  in 
the  ranks  of  American  patriots  and  figured  both 
as  civil  and  military  heroes  in  the  most  momen- 
tous past  history  of  this  continent.  Education,  ex- 
perience and  the  mental  greatness  which  he  has 
happily  inherited,  all  combine  with  the  noblest 
graces  of  manhood  in  the  person  of  Apostle 
Lyman. 

Apostle  John  Henry  Smith  was  born  at  Win- 
ter Quarters,  near  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  Septem- 
ber 18,  1848.  He  is  a  son  of  the  former  Apostle 
and  pioneer,  George  A.  Smith.  The  present 
Apostle  Smith  spent  the  early  part  of  his  youth 
working  upon  his  mother's  farm  at  Provo.  In 
1874,  he  filled  a  mission  to  Europe.  The  next 
year  he  was  ordained  Bishop  of  the  Seventeenth 
Ward,  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  in  1880  he  was 
elevated  to  the  Apostleship.  He  was  cashier  of 
the  Utah  Central  Railway  for  a  number  of  years. 
Every  position  that  he  occupied  was  filled  with 


212  MEMOIRS  OF  Mt   DAY. 

honor  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the  people. 
He  is  popular,  manly  and  kind-hearted,  as  well 
as  prudent  and  sagacious. 

Apostle  Erastus  Snow  was  one  of  the  first 
Mormon  settlers  of  Utah.  He  was  born  in  the 
State  of  Vermont,  November  9th,  1818.  His 
family  settled  in  Massachusetts  in  colonial  days, 
and  were  typical  Americans  of  those  heroic  times. 
The  Apostle  became  a  Mormon  in  1833,  and  in 
the  same  year  began  to  preach  the  Gospel.  In 
September,  1847,  he  became  one  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles.  He  subsequently  established  and  fos- 
tered a  great  and  successful  branch  mission  of 
the  Church  in  Scandinavia,  filled  numerous  mis- 
sions with  honor  and  fidelity,  served  repeatedly  in 
the  Territorial  Legislature  with  distinction  as 
the  representative  of  southern  Utah — a  section  of 
the  country  which  owes  its  successful  settlement 
and  general  development  largely  to  his  genius. 

Apostle  John  W.  Taylor  is  a  distinguished  son  of 
the  President  of  the  Church.  Among  the  younger 
Apostles  he  is  a  bright  and  glowing  light.  He 
inherits  much  of  his  illustrious  father's  quiet 
firmness  and  indomitable  courage  and  devotion. 
He  is  a  pure  man,  who  believes  in  all  that  he 
teaches,  and  as  a  consequence  of  his*  aggressive 
energy  in  defending  the  Church  he  has  recently 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  213 

been  made  the  object  of  judicial  action  in  Idaho, 
where  he  is  still  under  indictment  for  the  alleged 
incitement  of  rebellion  against  the  laws  of  the 
United  States. 

Apostle  Brigham  Young,  Jr.,  is  an  illustrious 
son  of  the  celebrated  great  First  President  of  the 
Mormon  Church,  whose  name  he  bears.  He  is  a 
staunch  and  brilliant  supporter  of  the  Gospel  and 
the  cause  of  the  Church,  towards  the  prestige  of 
which  his  father  contributed  so  much. 

Apostle  Moses  Thatcher,  one  of  the  most  elo- 
quent and  scholarly  of  men,  and  withal  a  pro- 
found thinker,  occupies  an  exalted  and  responsible 
position  in  the  Apostolic  quorum.  He  is  a  man 
of  proverbially  pure  and  honest  character,  and 
any  cause  would  find  a  powerful  support  in  his 
adherence  and  devotion. 

Apostle  Heber  J.  Grant,  one  of  the  younger 
members  of  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve,  springs 
from  a  famous  and  hardy  ancestry,  to  which  he  is 
destined  to  lend  additional  lustre.  He  is  credited 
with  remarkably  brilliant  business  and  financial 
talents,  and  is  in  every  respect  a  thorough  gentle- 
man, honest  of  heart,  dignified  in  deportment, 
stately  in  personal  bearing,  courteous  and  up- 
right. 

Apostle  George  Teasdale,  with  whose  record  we 


214  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

are  unacquainted,  completes  the  list  of  the  pres- 
ent Apostles  of  the  Mormon  Church.  Upon 
them,  in  a  great  measure,  must  depend  the  nobler 
destinies  of  Utah  and  the  issue  of  the  present 
irrepressible  conflict  between  Saint  and  Gentile  in 
this  powerful  and  rich  Territory.  There  are  many 
other  influential  and  able  men  among  the  Mor- 
mons— such  as  William  B.  Preston,  the  Presiding 
Bishop  of  the  whole  Church,  a  manly  and 
admirable  soul — who  are  elevated  to  power  among 
the  Mormons,  but  it  would  require  whole  volumes 
to  enumerate  them  all  properly. 

The  subordinate  authorities  in  the  Mormon 
Church  may  be  described  as  regimental  army 
officers,  while  President  John  Taylor  may  be 
likened  to  a  cominander-in-chief,  with  his  coun- 
selors, Cannon  and  Smith,  as  aids,  and  the 
quorum  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  as  staff  officers. 

These  dignitaries,  immediately  or  through  their 
subordinates  in  the  Priesthood,  nominate  all 
parties  for  ecclesiastical  office,  and  the  Priesthood, 
over  which  these  stand  in  chief  authority,  usually, 
though  not  always,  pre-arrange  nominations  to 
civil  office,  formally  and  openly  made  through  the 
People's  Party  in  Utah.  The  masses  are  given 
the  privilege  of  endorsing  or  rejecting  all  nomi- 
nees, both  civil  and  ecclesiastical  which  are  thus 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  215 

made — a  right  often  used  with  much  liberty  j 
especially  with  the  nominations  for  civil  offices. 

Presidents  of  Stakes  in  the  Mormon  system  may 
be  likened  unto  colonels  of  regiments  in  an  army. 
Their  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  is  usually  co- 
extensive with  the  boundaries  of  a  county,  and 
each  one  often  holds  a  county  office  also.  A  Stake 
President  gets  no  salary,  as  such,  but  of  course, 
when  a  civil  officer,  has  the  emoluments  attached 
to  any  civil  office  which  he  may  hold. 

Hon.  A.  0.  Smoot,  President  of  Utah  Stake,'and 
residing  in  Utah  County,  is  an  astute,  careful 
business  man  of  much  general  experience.  His 
judgment  on  all  subjects  is  always  eminently 
practical  and  generally  sound.  He  has  been  long 
in  the  Church,  and  is  now  venerable  with  age. 
He  is  typical  of  the  class  of  men  usually  chosen 
for  rulers  among  the  Mormons;  above  all  things, 
he  professes  to  be  devoted  to  the  Church  of  which 
he  has  long  been  a  staunch  and  stalwart  pillar. 

Hon.  Abram  Hatch,  President  of  Wasatch 
Stake,  is  a  somewhat  younger  man  than  Presi- 
dent Smoot,  but  like  the  latter,  Mr.  Hatch  is  rich, 
prudent  and  practical. 

Hon.  Angus  M.  Cannon,  the  President  of 
Salt  Lake  Stake,  which  embraces  Salt  Lake  City, 
and  County,  is  a  brother  of  Hon,  George  Q. 


216  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

« 

Cannon,  of  the'  First  Presidency  of  the  Church. 
He  is  likewise  prudent  and  practical,  and  dis- 
tinguished for  long  and  faithful  service  under  the 
heads  of  the  Church.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
Presidents  C.  0.  Card,  of  Cache  Stake,  0.  G.  Snow, 
of  Box  Elder  Stake,  and  most  of  the  balance  of 
Stake  Presidents,  who  number  thirty  in  all. 


Hon.  Caleb  W.  West,  formerly  of  Kentucky, 
is  the  present  Governor  of  Utah  Territory.  His 
Excellency  was  appointed  by  President  Cleve- 
land, and  has  thus  far  given  all  classes  of  the 
people  a  fair  degree  of  satisfaction.  He  is  in  the 
prime  of  life,  and  has  had  a  considerable  judicial 
experience.  He  is  evidently  a  man  of  brains, 
and  endowed  also  with  great  firmness  and  cour- 
age. He  favors  the  enforcement  of  the  Edmunds 
law,  and  may  be  regarded  as  the  leader,  ex  officio, 
of  those  who  are  determined  to  promote  what  the 
non-Mormons  of  Utah  are  pleased  to  consider  as 
proper  Federal  supremacy  over  the  Territory. 
Governor  West  is  a  Democrat,  and  his  personal 
character  is  noble  and  admirable. 

Hon.  John  T.  Caine,  Delegate  to  Congress 
from  Utah,  was  born  January  8th,  1829,  near  the 
town  of  Peel,  Isle  of  Man.  He  became  a  Mor- 
mon in  1847,  and  afterwards  came  to  Utah,  and 


MEMOIRS   OP    MY   DAY.  217 

performed  many  missions  for  the  Church.  He 
has  served  several  terms  in  the  Utah  Legislature, 
and  is  widely  known  in  Utah  as  a  journalist. 
He  held  the  office  of  Recorder  in  Salt  Lake  City 
when  he  was  first  elected  as  Delegate  to  Congress, 
in  1876.  During  the  last  two  years,  as  a  Dele- 
gate, he  has  done  immense  service  for  the  Territory 
and  the  people  who  elected  him,  by  protecting  their 
interests  intelligently  and  well  at  Washington. 

Hon.  Arthur  L.  Thomas,  the  present  Territorial 
Secretary,  is  a  Republican.  He  has  held  his  office 
for  some  time,  and  is  endowed  with  a  happy 
faculty  of  avoiding  offensive  partisanship  in  a 
community  where  such  a  course  is  next  to  im- 
possible. He  is  a  compact,  energetic,  dexterous 
and  amiable,  polished  little  man,  and,  without 
doubt,  an  efficient  officer.  Recently  he  has  been 
appointed  a  member  of  the  Utah  Commission. 

The  present  United  States  Marshal  of  Utah  is 
Mr.  Frank  H.  Dyer.  He  has  held  the  office  only 
a  few  months,  but  has  done  his  utmost  to  arrest 
the  largest  possible  number  of  alleged  offenders 
under  the  Edmunds  law.  He  was  formerly  en- 
gaged in  the  mines  at  Park  City,  Utah,  and  has 
a  high  reputation  for  personal  integrity  and 
business  ability.  Mr.  H.  E.  Steele  is  Mr.  Dyer's 
deputy  in  Ogden* 


218  MEMOIKS   OP   MY   DAY. 

Hon.  G.  S.  Zane  is  the  Chief  Justice  of  Utah. 
He  is  a  Republican,  and  has  occupied  the  supreme 
bench  of  the  Territory  for  over  two  years.  During 
that  time  His  Honor  has  made  himself  somewhat 
odious,  locally,  by  the  manner  in  which  his  court 
has  enforced  the  Edmunds  law;  but  upon  all 
matters,  not  touching  the  Mormon  question,  he  is 
universally  conceded  to  be  a  scholarly  lawyer 
and  an  honest  judge,  who  renders  his  judicial  de- 
cisions according  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge  and 
ability.  His  Honor's  errors — and  he  has  doubtless 
committed  some,  for  he  is  human — et  humanum 
est  errare  -  have  been  those  of  the  head  rather  than 
those  of  the  heart  or  conscience.  This  the  author 
states  with  the  greater  pleasure  because  he  has 
been  falsely  accused  of  libeling  the  Chief  Justice 
deliberately  and  with  actual  personal  malice. 

The  present  Associate  Justices  of  the  Utah 
Supreme  Court  are  Hon.  Jacob  S.  Boreman  and 
Hon.  H.  P.  Henderson.  The  former  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  has  occupied  the  bench  for  some  time. 
Judge  Henderson  is  a  Democrat,  but  recently 
appointed  an  Associate  Justice  by  President 
Cleveland.  He  enjoys  a  high  reputation  as  a 
thorough  gentleman  and  able  legal  scholar,  and 
thus  far  His  Honor  has  made  a  very  fair  and 
creditable  judicial  record. 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  219 

Hon.  W.  H.  Dickson,.  the  United  States  Dis- 
trict Attorney  for  Utah,  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  held  the  office  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
won  a  considerable  reputation  for  personal  and 
professional  persistency.  As  a  lawyer  he  is  un- 
doubtedly keen,  determined  and  subtle.  He  has 
been  regarded  as  the  chief  anti-Mormon  of  the 
Territory,  and  his  friends  are  never  tired  of 
extolling  his  name.  His  present  assistants  are 
C.  S.  Varian,  Ogden  Hiles  and  Colonel  Vic  Bier- 
bower.  The  last  named  prosecuted  Apostle 
Lorenzo  Snow  to  conviction  and  consequent  im- 
prisonment.- Messrs.  Varian  and  Hiles  are  good 
subordinates. 

The  present  editors  of  the  Salt  Lake  City 
daily  papers,  are  all  notable  men.  Charles  W. 
Penrose,  the  editor-in-chief  of  the  Deseret  Evening 
News,  the  official  organ  of  the  Mormon  Church, 
is  now  in  exile  to  avoid  prosecution  under  the 
Edmunds  law,  but  still  contributes  to  the  edi- 
torial columns  of  the  paper.  He  is  undoubtedly 
the  greatest  of  all  the  present  professional  jour- 
nalists of  Utah.  As  a  poet  he  is  justly  celebrated 
among  the  Mormons,  who  owe  to  his  lyric  genius 
many  noble  anthems  that  never  fail  to  arouse 
the  enthusiasm  and  zeal  of  the  Latter-day  Saints 
whenever  they  are  sang.  He  is  a  sentient,  elo- 


220  MEMOIRS    OP    MY    DAY. 

quent,  impressive,  logical  and  convincing  edi- 
torial writer,  and  justly  celebrated  for  his  unflag- 
ging energy  and  activity. 

Judge  C.  C.  Goodwin,  the  chief  editor  of  the 
Salt  Lake  anti-Mormon  organ,  is  also  a  bril- 
liant writer  and  a  poet.  He  possesses  some 
literary  talents  of  a  high  order,  but  often  uses 
them  in  a  manner  that  excites  the  pity  and  con- 
tempt of  those  who  would  otherwise  be  his 
admirers. 

Byron  Groo,  a  native  of  Utah,  is  the  polished 
and  distinguished  editor  of  the  Salt  Lake  Herald, 
the  leading  independent  paper  of  the  Territory. 
Mr.  Groo  is  a  bright  ornament  of  the  journalistic 
profession,  and  an  urbane,  accomplished  gentle- 
man. 

01 

Among  the  business  men  of  Salt  Lake  City, 
Walker  Brothers,  Henry  Dinwoodey,  H.  S.  Eld- 
redge  and  John  Sharp  are  eminently  representa- 
tive of  the  pioneer  enterprise  and  sagacity  which 
have  given  Utah  a  place  in  the  first  rank  of 
financiers.  Walker  Brothers  are  non-Mormons; 
Messrs.  Dinwoodey,  Eldredge  and  Sharp  are 
Mormons.  All  have  large  fortunes  which  they 
have  accumulated  in  Utah. 

Ogden  City,  the  second  place  in  size  and  im- 
oortance  in  Utah,  contains  about  as  many  non- 


MEMOIRS  OF  MY  DAY.  221 

Mormon  residents  as  Latter-day  Saints.  It  is 
here  that  the  writer  is  chiefly  acquainted  person- 
ally. Among  the  individual  merchants  of  the 
place,  Fred.  J.  Kiesel,  Esq.,  of  the  wholesale 
grocery  house  of  the  Kiesel  Co.,  is  a  non-Mormon 
of  great  business  ability  and  enterprise,  as  is 
amply  proven  by  the  abundance  of  his  success. 
He  is  of  German  origin — a  laige-souled  man  of 
liberal,  tolerant,  progressive  views  and  generous 
sentiments. 

Mr.  John  Watson,  the  genial  manager  of  the 
Ogden  branch  Z.  0.  M.  I.,  is  a  young  but  an  exceed- 
ingly able,  enterprising  and  prudent  business  man. 

Hon.  D.  H.  Peery,  the  present  Mayor  of  Ogden, 
is  an  eminently  adroit  capitalist.  As  a  financier, 
he  has  few  peers  in  Ufah,  or,  indeed,  anywhere 
else  in  the  world.  He  is  a  Mormon  of  advanced 
views,  and  was  formerly  repeatedly  a  member  of 
the  Utah  Legislature,  and  for  a  time  President 
of  Weber  Stake. 

Hon.  L.  W.  Shurtliff,  President  of  WeberStake, 
and  Probate  Judge  of  Weber  County,  was 
a  member  of  the  last  Utah  Legislature.  Before 
he  became  Stake  President  he  was  unknown  as  a 
public  officer,  but  had  been  Bishop  of  Plain  City. 

Among  the  most  adroit,  persevering  and  able 
energetic  and  successful  business  men  of  Ogden, 


222  MEMOIRS    OF    MY   DAY. 

Sidney  Stevens,  Esq.,  takes  high  and  honorable 
rank.  He  is  one  of  those  firm,  independent, 
self-sustaining  and  manly  gentlemen  who  always 
leave  golden  footprints  on  the  sands  of  time. 

Hon.  Lorin  Farr  has  the  honor  of  being  the 
founder  of  Ogden  and  the  first  Mayor  of  the  city. 
He  was  also  the  first  President  of  Weber  Stake, 
and  has  served  repeatedly  in  the  Utah  Legislature. 
He  was  born  in  Vermont,  July  27th,  1820,  and 
he  springs  from  genuine  Puritan  ancestors.  He 
joined  the  Church  in  1832,  and  has  been  promi- 
nently identified  with  it  ever  since.  As  a  mission- 
ary, a  thrifty  pioneer,  and  the  lather  of  a  large 
and  interesting  family,  his  career  has  been  alike 
honorable  and  useful.  He  has  been  prominently 
identified  with  the  material  development  of 
Weber  County  from  the  first,  and  established  the 
woolen  mills  in  Ogden,  where  he  also  owns  and 
conducts  a  flour  mill. 

A.  Kuhn  &  Brother,  an  old  general  merchan- 
dise wholesale  and  retail  house,  deserves  to  be 
placed  in  the  first  rank  of  the  successful  business 
establishments  of  Ogden.  The  two  brothers,  who 
conduct  the  destinies  of  their  house  on  principles 
that  never  fail  of  success,  are  extremely  politic, 
reliable  and  prudent,  as  is  evinced  by  their  suc- 
cess, which  has  enabled  them  to  build  and  stock 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  223 

one  of  the  very  largest  and  finest  three  story  brick 
business  blocks  in  Ogden. 

Bishop  E.  Stratford,  of  the  Fourth  Ward,  in 
Ogden,  and  his  son,  Jesse,  are  excellent  specimens 
of  the  stubborn  commercial  ability  which  has 
become  famous,  in  its  development,  under  the 
aegis  of  the  Mormon  system.  They  are  the  pro- 
prietary of  the  great  wholesale  and  retail  furniture 
house  of  E.  Stratford  &  Son. 

Mr.  H.  M.  Bond,  the  active  Ogden  commission 
merchant  and  grocer,  is  a  gentleman  of  first-class 
business  and  noble  personal  qualifications.  Such 
men  as  he  would  make  efficient  supports  to  the 
commerce  of  the  most  enterprising  cities  in  the 
world. 

Judge  P.  H.  Emerson,  a  leading  citizen  of 
Ogden,  and  one  of  the  brightest  and  noblest 
ornaments  of  the  Utah  bar,  was  for  twelve  years 
Associate  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
Territory.  By  nature  large-souled,  hospitable, 
generous  and  social,  the  Judge  is  a  deservedly 
popular  man.  His  legal  talents,  too,  are  of  the 
highest  order;  his  learning  extensive  and  pro- 
iound,  and  his  eloquence  polished  and  effective, 
alike  in  pathos,  invective  and  argument. 

Hon.  Franklin  S.  Richards,  a  son  of  the 
eminent  Apostle,  F.  D.  Richards,  is  in  some  re- 


224  MEMOIRS  0$  MY  DAY. 

spects  the  most  remarkable  man  in  Utah.  He  is 
the  possessor  of  a  peculiarly  brilliant  mind, 
which  qualifies  him  for  the  most  illustrious  paths 
of  life.  Although,  as  yet,  comparatively  a  young 
man,  he  has  become  celebrated  as  the  great  Mor- 
mon constitutional  lawyer.  His  intellect  is 
symmetrical,  well-balanced,  expansive  and  com- 
prehensive; his  genius  altogether  of  a  high 
quality,  which  predestines  him  to  the  grandest 
stations  of  honor  and  power,  if  he  lives.  Al- 
though his  residence  is  now  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
Ogden  still  ckims  a  share  of  the  honor,  as  having 
been  his  former  home. 

Mr.  Lamoni  Grix,  a  quiet  business  man,  who 
rarely  intrudes  himself  in  an  ostentatious  way 
upon  the  public,  is  yet  a  generous,  public-spirited 
and  enterprising  tradesman. 

Mr.  A.  G.  Harris,  the  leading  Ogden  green- 
grocer, has  won  a  deserved  marked  success,  by 
non-partisan  conservativeness,  that  has  been 
alike  honorable  and  prudent. 

Mr.  L.  B.  Adams  is  an  eminent  factor  in  the 
business  community  of  the  junction  city.  He 
is  a  conservative  non-Mormon,  and,  withal,  a 
popular,  prudent  man. 

Mr.  C.  L.  Peebles,  a  non-Mormon  druggist,  of 
Ogden,  has  built  up  a  flourishing  extensive  busi- 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  225 

ness,  and  personally  he  is  an  agreeable  and 
polished  gentleman  who  will  bear  acquaintance. 

Mr.  J.  S.  Lewis  was  at  one  time  the  Liberal 
candidate  for  Mayor  of  Ogden.  He  is  a  success- 
ful, rich,  magnanimous,  conservative  and  gener- 
ous business  man,  and  his  capacious  head  con- 
tains many  stronger  and  deeper  views  than  he  is 
in  the  habit  of  expressing. 

Mr.  William  Driver,  the  generous  and  whole- 
souled  proprietor  of  the  "City  Drug  Store,"  and 
member  of  the  City  Council,  is  endowed  with 
much  natural  ability,  and  he  occupies  an  impor- 
tant position  in  local  business  and  official  circles. 

Among  the  younger,  enterprising,  successful 
and  shrewd  general  merchandise  dealers  of  the 
west,  Mr.  James  Wotherspoon  has  established  a 
solid  and  thriving  business  by  the  exercise  of  the 
foremost  commercial  qualities. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Stephens,  the  Ogden  merchandise 
broker,  has  been  long  and  favorably  known 
throughout  this  inter-mountain  region,  and  his 
new  and  commodious  quarters  on  Main  Street 
are  a«fitting  testimonial  of  his  eminent  success. 

The  newly-appointed  postmaster  of  Ogden,  Mr. 
John  Tyler,  is  an  estimable  gentleman,  long  and 
always  favorably  known  in  this  community  as 
clerk  of  the  Broom  Hotel.  He  is  admirably 

16 


226  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

qualified  to  succeed  the  efficient  and  well-liked 
retiring  postmaster,  Major  E.  A.  Littlefield. 

Messrs.  Rubel  &  Penglase  have  rapidly  and 
thoroughly  founded  a  large  and  profitable  whole- 
sale liquor  trade,  and  occupy  large  sales  and  store 
rooms  in  the  elegant  and  extensive  new  building 
of  A.  Kuhn  &  Bro. 

The  mammoth  roller  flour  mills  of  Messrs. 
Peery  &  Mack  are  the  finest  and  largest  in  this 
section  of  the  world — something  that  Ogden  is 
justly  proud  of,  and  another  of  the  many  local 
enterprises  largely  creditable  to  the  thrift  and 
sagacity  of  Hon.  D.  H.  Peery. 

A.  R.  Haywood,  Esq.,  although,  as  yet,  but  a 
young  member  of  the  Ogden  bar,  is  a  thorough 
gentleman  of  integrity  and  capacity,  which  will 
yet  lead  him  to  a  place  among  the  most  success- 
ful disciples  of  Blackstone. 

The  registration  officer  of  Ogden,  Mr.  B.  L. 
Stephens,  is  a  venerable  gentleman  and  a  veteran 
soldier  of  the  Union.  He  has  made  a  very  satis- 
factory registrar. 

Mr.  Thomas  Cahoon,  the  Ogden  coal  merchant, 
is  a  deservedly  popular  gentleman.  He  has  built 
up  an  extensive  and  profitable  business  and 
merited  success  by  enterprise  and  fair  dealing. 

Mr.   Nath.   Kuhn,   the   well-known    wholesale 


MEMOIRS    OF   MY    DAY.  227 

Ogden  cigar  merchant,  has  every  qualification  to 
ensure  thrift  in  business,  as  his  continued  liberal 
success  attests. 

Mr.  David  Eccles,  the 'Ogden  lumber  merchant, 
is  a  self-made  man,  whose  ample  means  have  been 
accumulated  through  the  exercise  of  the  most 
modest  and  yet  brilliant  business  ability.  He 
has  recently  purchased  a  great  lumber  business 
in  Oregon. 

Mr.  S.  M.  Preshaw  is  a  noteworthy  Ogden 
character.  He  is  a  first-rate  undertaker,  contrac- 
tor and  builder,  and  might  have  been  a  very 
successful  philosopher. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Wright,  of  the  firm  of  Wright  & 
Sons,  deserves  a  prominent  place  in  the  galaxy 
of  the  celebrated  business  men  of  Ogden.  From 
the  basis  of  a  small  capital  he  has  speedily  built 
up  a  flourishing  establishment,  which  to-day 
ranks  among  the  foremost  in  Ogden. 

Equally  distinguished  as  a  fine  prose  writer, 
poet  and  physician  is  Dr.  A.  S.  Condon,  of  the 
junction  city. 

Dr.  J.  X.  Allen,  the  eminent  physician  and 
surgeon,  has  a  host  of  friends  among  the  people 
here. 

The  genial  H.  A.  Clawson,  of  the  Depct  Hotel, 
in  Ogden,  is  unrivalled  as  a  caterer,  and  his 


228  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

tables  are  ever  laden  with  good  things  as  his 
heart  is  filled  with  genial  sentiments. 

Mr.  W.  J.  Wood  has  introduced  a  popular 
novelty  in  this  business  community,  which  is  a 
variety  shop,  appropriately  called  the  "  Plunder 
Store." 

Peerless  among  the  tobacco  and  cigar  manu- 
facturers of  the  west  is  Mr.  C.  B.  Payson,  of 
Ogden,  who  is  also  personally  one  of  the  most 
sensible  and  enterprising  of  gentlemen. 

Mr.  George  A.  Lowe  may  be  classed  among 
the  shrewdest  and,  withal,  the  most  enterprising 
of  Ogden  business  men,  among  whom  he  may  be 
ranked,  because  of  his  large  emporium  of  farm 
machinery,  wagons  and  the  like,  in  the  junction 
city,  although  he  really  resides  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
where  are  also  the  headquarters  of  the  Co-oper- 
ative Wagon  and  Machine  Co.,  which  has  a  large 
branch  establishment  in  Ogden,  and  with  which 
Apostle  H.  J.  Grant,  and  others  eminent  among 
the  Mormons,  are  identified.  Mr.  Sidney  Stevens, 
of  Ogden,  also  deals  in  wagons,  farm  machinery, 
mill  machinery,  wagons,  etc.,  and  his  head- 
quarters are  in  Ogden,  where  he  lives.  These 
three  concerns  represent  great  business  talent  and 
large  capital. 

There  are  few   men   in  Ogden   or   elsewhere, 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  229 

either  in  business  or  following  a  profession,  who 
are  more  deservedly  popular  than  the  sensible, 
just,  liberal  and  good-natured  veteran,  Colonel 
J.  E.  Hudson. 

Mr.  Jesse  J.  Driver,  the  amiable  and  careful 
druggist,  is  an  enterprising,  thorough  gentleman 
of  no  ordinary  calibre.  Ogden  already  recognizes 
him  as  one  of  her  most  successful  and  beneficent 
business  men. 

Among  the  strongest  types  of  conscientious 
Mormon  pioneers  of  Utah,  the  venerable  Mr. 
Richard  Ballantyne  deserves  exceeding  high 
rank.  His  large  and  interesting  family  of  highly 
respectable,  staunch  sons  and  daughters,  are  a 
credit  to  Utah.  And  his  whole  life  has  been  one 
of  supreme  devotion  to  the  cause  of  God  and 
humanity,  as  he  has  honestly  conceived  his 
duty  to  be  with  a  belief  no  less  than  sublime. 

C.  C.  Richards,  Esq.,  an  able  son  of  Apostle  F. 
D.  Richards,  and  the  Prosecuting  Attorney  of 
Weber  County,  is  a  young  lawyer  whose  future 
is  destined  to  add  lustre  to  the  annals  of  the 
Utah  bar. 

Percival  J.  Barrett,  Esq.,  has  an  enviable 
reputation  as  a  lawyer,  which  is  only  eclipsed  by 
his  reputation  as  a  discreet  and  pleasant,  cultured 
gentleman,  while  his  amiable  and  attractive  wife 


230  MEMOIRS   OF    MY   DAY. 

rivals  even  her  excellent  husband  in  the  way  of 
social  hospitality. 

Judge  R.  K.  Williams,  formerly  Chief  Justice 
of  Kentucky,  has  perhaps  passed  the  best  days  of 
a  long  and  illustrious  career,  and  he  will,  leave 
behind  the  impress  of  his  lofty  character  on  the 
great  future  of  Ogden  City. 

Associated  with  the  Judge  in  the  legal  business 
at  present  is  the  late  distinguished  United  States 
Prosecuting  Attorney  of  Idaho,  Hon.  W.  R. 
White,  who  proposes  to  locate  permanently  in 
the  junction  city,  where  he  has  as  yet  resided 
only  a  brief  time. 

Though  somewhat  difficult  of  approach  and 
eccentric,  in  our  experience,  Captain  Ransford 
Smith,  formerly  Liberal  candidate  for  Delegate  to 
Congress  from  Utah,  is  reputed  to  be  a  most 
urbane  gentleman,  with  a  kind  heart,  as  well  as 
he  is  known  to  be  a  persistent  and  scholarly 
attorn  ey-at-law. 

It  is  fortunate  for  the  industry  of  manufactur- 
ing boots  and  shoes  in  Ogden  that  the  business  is 
supported  in  part  by  two  such  thorough  business 
men  as  Mr.  Thomas  Ashby  and  Mr.  Joshua 
Small.  They  occupy  a  somewhat  similar  posi- 
tion in  the  boot  and  shoe  manufacturing  trade  as 
Mr.  W.  S.  Read  and  Mr.  G.  W.  Snively  occupy  in 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  231 

the  business  of  manufacturing  harness  and 
saddles,  or  that  Mr.  T.  W.  Jones,  the  prince  of 
local  merchant  tailors,  occupies  in  the  merchant 
tailoring  trade.  Each  of  these  gentlemen  are 
expert  in  their  line  and  Mr.  Jones  is  especially 
endowed  with  that  genius  of  progress  and  enter- 
prise which  gives  a  city  life  and  wealth. 

Among  the  Ogdeii  veterans  whose  courage  and 
patriotism  entitle  them  to  the  first  consideration, 
is  General  Nathan  Kimball.  His  record  as  a 
soldier,  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  will  go 
down  to  remotest  generations  for  admiration  and 
imitation.  The  General's  son,  J.  N.  Kimball, 
Esq.,  is  one  of  the  most  subtle,  keen  and  adroit 
of  Ogden  lawyers. 

In  some  respects  Mr.  E.  J.  Wagner,  of  the 
wholesale  and  retail  clothing  establishment  of  E. 
J.  Wagner  &  Co.,  is  a  wondrously  sound  busi- 
ness philosopher.  He  is  intent  upon  building 
up  a  sound  and  permanent  business,  and  his 
methods  are  as  remarkably  just,  deep  and  clear 
as  his  views  are  enterprising  and  progressive,  all 
of  which  is  emphatically  proven  by  the  magni- 
tude of  his  trade  in  Ogden  and  elsewhere. 

Among  the  more  retiring  lawyers,  and  yet  most 
estimable  gentlemen  to  be  met  anywhere,  A.  H. 
Nelson,  Esq.,  is  respected  by  all  who  know  him. 


232  MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY. 

Among  the  younger  and  more  enterprising, 
and  therefore  successful  grocery  and  produce 
dealers,  Mr.  F.  D.  Higginbotham  has  already 
won  a  substantial  place,  which  unmistakably 
foretells  his  future  thrift. 

Mr.  A.  Hindenlang,  though  he  made  an  unos- 
tentatious beginning,  is  rapidly  advancing  in  the 
scale  of  merited  prosperity  as  a  jeweler  and 
watchmaker,  where  he  will  speedily  take  a  front 
rank. 

Messrs.  Hopkins  &  Co.  and  Corey  Brothers 
are  flourishing  and  first-class  non-Mormon 
grocers,  who  have  fortified  themselves  in  business 
extensively  and  considerately. 

Ogden  is  particularly  fortunate  in  the  posses- 
sion of  three  reliable  and  well-conducted  banking 
institutions.  The  Utah  National  Bank  is  ably 
and  securely  officered  by  Mr.  J.  E.  Dooley,  presi- 
dent; Mr.  W.  N.  Shilling,  vice-president;  and 
Mr.  L.  B.  Adams,  cashier.  Mr.  Dooley  is  not  only 
an  expert  financier,  but  also  an  able,  sagacious, 
prudent  and  conservative,  liberal-minded  gentle- 
man. Mr.  Shilling  is  not  less  happily  qualified 
to  command  respect  and  esteem,  as  are  all  of  those 
officially  connected  with  this  enterprising,  solid 
concern. 

Mr.   H.  C.  Harkness  is  president  and  Mr.  0. 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  233 

E.  Hill  is  cashier  of  that  excellent,  reliable  re- 
pository and  exchange  medium  widely  known  as 
the  Commercial  National  Bank  of  Ogden.  With 
these  two  efficient  officers  and  admirable  gentle- 
men, such  solid  capitalists  and  astute,  progressive 
financiers  as  David  Eccles,  J.  S.  Lewis,  M.  Buch- 
miller,  J.  C.  Armstrong,  Adam  Patterson  and 
Henry  Conant  are  associated  as  directors. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Ogden  City  en- 
joys the  distinction  of  having,  for  cashier,  a 
stalwart  son  of  Brigham  Young,  the  late  great 
Mormon  leader.  The  business  affairs  of  this 
prosperous  concern  are  conducted  with  extreme 
caution  and  unfailing  prudence,  as  indeed  would 
be  patent  from  the  fact  that  Hon.  D.  H.  Peery  is 
prominently  connected  with  its  management. 

Mr.  Barnard  White,  an  old,  esteemed  and  sub- 
stantial resident  of  Ogden,  is  the  quiet  possessor 
of  a  happily  constituted  nature,  which  has  emi- 
nently well  qualified  him  for  success  in  business 
and  prominence  in  society.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  extensive,  general  merchandise  establishment 
of  Burton,  Herrick  &  White,  and  sole  proprietor 
of  a  great  lumber  business  in  the  junction  city. 

The  versatile  and  physically  rather  diminutive 
Mr.  B.  F.  Hurlbut,  the  druggist,  has  a  genial 
soul  as  much  larger  and  a  business  enterprise  as 


234  MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY. 

much  greater  as  his  physical  proportions  are  less 
imposing  than  many  other  men. 

Mr.  Ambrose  Greenwell,  Sr.,  though  an  inmate 
of  the  Utah  Penitentiary  for  conscience'  sake,  at 
present,  has  perhaps  more  friends  among  all 
classes  of  people  in  Ogden  than  any  other  man. 
He  is  the  veteran  meat  market  proprietor  of  the 
city,  and  as  rich,  substantial  and  genial  as  he  is 
popular. 

Mr.  Mark  Lindsey,  the  veteran  Fifth  Street 
vendor  of  ice  cream,  confectionery,  cigars  and 
the  like,  is  a  man  of  strong  character  and  gener- 
ous impulses. 

Among  the  rising  young  attorneys  of  Ogden, 
Nathan  Tanner,  Jr.,  is  worthy  of  especial  con- 
sideration. 

Far  and  wide  throughout  this  section  of  Utah 
Mr.  Ben.  E.  Rich,  at  present  Recorder  for  Weber 
County,  is  known  and  admired  as  a  versatile  and 
enterprising  genius. 

The  mammoth  wholesale  and  retail  furniture 
and  carpet  establishment  of  Boyle  &  Co.  is  noted 
in  Ogden,  and  indeed  throughout  the  entire  Ter- 
ritory for  enterprise,  fair  dealing  and  success,  and 
to  Mr.  John  A.  Boyle  is  due  a  great  portion  of  the 
firm's  prosperity.  Although  comparatively  a 
young  man,  he  has  won  golden  laurels  as  an 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY   DAY.  235 

astute  business  man,  a  musician  and  a  municipal 
legislator.  Genial,  generous  and  accommodating, 
his  popularity  is  only  equaled  by  his  genuine 
goodness  of  heart. 

Mr.  Warren  G.  Child,  Sr.,  of  the  well-known 
general  merchandise  firm  of  Child  &  Son,  is  one 
of  the  staunch  early  settlers  of  this  inter-moun- 
tain region,  now  well  advanced  in  the  shade  of 
many  honorable  years.  He  is  a  solid  and  capable 
business  man,  generous  and  firm  in  friendship, 
and  the  head  of  a  large  and  thrifty  flourishing 
family  that  honors  the  paternal  name. 

There  are  in  the  West  few  if  any  more  quiet 
and  yet  persevering  and  sound  business  men 
than  Browning  Brothers,  the  Ogden  gunsmiths 
and  wholesale  and  retail  dealers  in  guns,  ammu- 
nition and  sporting  goods. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Stevens  is  an  affable  and  enterpris- 
ing gentleman,  and  his  large  business  in  the  line 
of  arms,  ammunition  and  sporting  goods  is  con- 
stantly increasing. 

Roy  &  Company,  a  comparatively  new  com- 
mission merchant  house  of  Ogden,  already 
manifest  a  vim  and  enterprise  that  must  attain 
success  if  continued. 

Messrs.  Keck  &  Tavey,  proprietors  of  a  lead- 
ing general  merchandise  house  in  Ogden,  are 


236  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

both  pleasant  and  reliable  gentlemen  to  do  busi- 
ness with,  and  personally  progressive  and  gen- 
erous. 

Messrs.  Snyder  &  Burt  are  equally  preposses- 
sing merchants,  and  their  large  dry  goods  estab- 
lishment is  a  model  of  elegance. 

Mr.  George  H.  Tribe  is  a  most  estimable  and 
considerate  capitalist,  and  his  handsome  and 
large  general  merchandise  and  carpet  emporium 
is  a  feature  of  the  junction  city. 

Messrs.  Clark  &  Shaw  are  personally  court- 
eous, liberal,  substantial  and  enterprising  gentle- 
men, and  their  extensive  general  merchandise 
house  commands  a  justly  large  patronage. 

Messrs.  D.  H.  Peery  &  Sons'  general  merchan- 
dise establishment  occupies  a  leading  position  in 
the  business  arena  of  Ogden.  At  the  head  of  this 
firm  is  the  great  Utah  financier,;Hon.  D.  H.  Peery, 
Sr.,  and  among  the  sons  associated  with  him  D. 
H.  Peery,  Jr.,  promises  to  even  rival  his  dis- 
tinguished father  as  a  sound  business  man. 

Messrs.  Burton,  Herrick  &  White  transact  a 
large  annual  business  in  the  general  merchandise 
and  hardware  line,  and  the  proprietors  are  three 
of  the  most  sagacious  and  prominent  old  resi- 
dents of  Ogden. 

Among  the  prudent  and  substantial  leading 


MEMOIRS   OP   MY   DAY.  237 

men  of  Ogden,  Mr.  Samuel  Horrocks  has  long 
been  favorably  known.  His  able  son  is  associated 
with  him  in  the  general  merchandise  business. 

Mr.  W,  W.  Funge,  proprietor  of  the  extensive 
wholesale  and  retail  hardware  and  tinware  house, 
is  a  determined  and  enterprising  business  man, 
who  is  personally  frank,  social  and  generous. 

Messrs.  John  Scowcroft  &  Son,  manufacturers 
of  confectionery  and  dealers  in  general  merchan- 
dise, have  built  up  a  large  and  profitable  busi- 
ness by  fair  dealing  and  enterprise. 

Mr.  John  Smuin  and  Mr.  Thomas  G.  Thomas, 
of  the  wholesale  and  retail  general  merchandise 
house  of  Smuin  &  Thomas,  occupy  a  foremost 
place  among  the  prosperous  business  men  of  the 
city.  Personally  they  are  both,  deservedly,  favor- 
ites of  the  public. 

The  commission  merchants  of  Ogden  have  a 
public-spirited  and  successful  representative  in 
the  person  of  Mr.  H.  L.  Griffin.  By  assiduous 
exertion  and  business  tact  of  the  first  order,  he 
has  built  up  a  splendid  shipping  business,  and 
personally  he  is  one  of  those  decisive,  indomit- 
able characters  who  succeed  in  all  they  under- 
take. 

Mr.  James  Thompson,  manufacturer  of  tinware 
and  dealer  in  hardware,  is  an  energetic  and  firm 


238  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

gentleman  and  his  business  is  sure  to  prosper 
with  the  progress  of  Ogden. 

Mr.  Robert  P.  Harris  and  his  brother  Winfield 
S.  Harris,  have  built  up  a  large  and  profitable 
business  as  dealers  in  fruit  and  produce,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Harris  Brothers.  They  are 
courteous  and  reliable  gentlemen. 

Mr.  H.  C,  Wardleigh,  the  proprietor  of  the 
Ogden  Music  Temple,  is  a  veteran  soldier  of  the 
Union,  and  an  enterprising,  high-minded,  patri- 
otic business  man  of  ability  and  energy. 

Mr.  Willard  Kay,  the  senior  member  of  the 
late  flourishing  and  active  house  of  W.  Kay  &  Co., 
produce  dealers  and  commission  merchants,  is 
one  of  Utah's  most  sagacious,  thrifty  and  ad- 
mirable sons,  and  his  brother,  associated  with 
him  in  business,  is  no  less  affable,  prudent  and 
reliable. 

Among  the  newer  business  establishments  of 
Ogden,  the  house  of  Messrs.  Eldredge,  Pratt  & 
Company,  dealers  in  musical  instruments  and 
sewing  machines,  has  already  won  an  extensive 
patronage  and  general  confidence. 

Mr.  Isadore  Marks,  the  member  of  the  great 
leading  wholesale  and  retail  clothing  establish- 
ment of  Marks,  Goldsmith  &  Company,  is  a 
remarkably  cautious,  astute  and  enterprising 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  239 

business  man.  His  house  has  won  an  enviable 
reputation  and  a  fair  patronage  through  the 
wisdom  and  prudence  of  Mr.  Marks. 

Mr.  J.  M.  Russell  and  E.  M.  Marcus  have  laid 
upon  a  solid  foundation  a  prosperous  business  in 
the  line  of  leather,  hides  and  wool.  They  are 
personally  most  agreeable  gentlemen  to  deal  with. 

Mr.  P.  A.  Herdti,  the  Fifth  Street  grocer,  is  a 
brisk,  bright  and  popular  gentleman,  whose  busi- 
ness is  yet  destined  to  assume  the  most  splendid 
proportions. 

Personally  Dr.  H.  J.  Powers  is  one  of  the  most 
urbane  and  accommodating  of  men,  and  profes- 
sionally, as  a  physician  and  surgeon,  he  has 
established  a  reputation  in  Ogden  that  is  singu- 
larly perfect  and  happy. 

Dr.  John  D.  Carnahan  is  another  favorite  and 
thoroughly  accomplished  physician  and  surgeon, 
who  has  won  golden  opinions  in  Ogden  both 
professionally  and  personally. 

Mr.  D.  D.  Jones,  of  the  Idaho  Lumber  Com- 
pany, which  does  a  fine  business,  is  not  only  a 
first-class  architect  and  builder,  but  a  gentleman 
of  many  admirable  personal  qualities,  and  a  pro- 
found student  of  the  business  conditions  of  this 
Territory,  and  of  the  commercial  capabilities  of 
Ogden. 


240  MEMOIRS    OF   MY   DAY. 

There  are  few  men  in  business  in  Ogden,  or 
indeed  elsewhere,  who  have  more  sterling  busi- 
ness qualifications  or  more  amiable  and  con- 
genial personal  attributes  than  Mr.  Theo.  Schaun- 
senbach,  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  F.  J. 
Kiesel  Co. 

Recently  the  new  drug  firm  of  Cunningham 
&  Co.  have  promisingly  entered  the  business 
arena  in  Ogden.  Mr.  Frank  Cunningham,  who 
manages  the  establishment,  is  a  thorough  chemist 
and  a  popular  young  gentleman. 

The  writer  regrets  that  the  space  at  his  dis- 
posal forbids  even  the  further  enumeration  of  the 
business  men  of  Ogden.  And  he  regrets,  also, 
that,  for  the  same  reason,  he  has  been  compelled 
to  be  so  brief  in  this  reference  to  many  of  the 
gentlemen  who  worthily  represent  the  great  com- 
mercial interests  of  this  thriving  and  prosperous 
municipality.  However,  Mr.  Hemenway  contents 
himself  at  present  with  the  proposal  to  write 
a  full  and  accurate  history  of  the  pioneers, 
merchants  and  manufacturers  of  the  junction 
city,  and  in  that  work  he  hopes  to  more  fully  set 
forth  his  high  estimation  and  cordial  apprecia- 
tion not  only  of  the  gentlemen  whom  he  has 
so  briefly  mentioned,  but  of  others  whom  space 
will  not  permit  him  to  represent  here. 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  241 

With  a  firm  and  profound  belief  in  the  future 
great  commercial  destiny  of  Ogden,  and  after 
having  experienced  the  unbounded  kindness  and 
liberality  of  the  good  citizens  of  this  city,  the 
author  rejoices  that  the  erection  of  a  grand  Union 
Depot  in  this  city  will  give  new  and  final  confi- 
dence in  the  permanent  importance  of  the  place 
as  a  commercial  and  railway  centre.  And  in 
this  connection  he  ventures  to  suggest  that  the 
junction  city  ought  to  have  a  representative 
newspaper — a  paper  which  all  business  men  could 
unite  in  sustaining  and  which  would  thus  com- 
mand the  confidence  of  the  people.  The  writer 
feels  confident  that  such  a  journal  is  possible — a 
commercial  and  household  journal  removed  alike 
from  vicious  partisanship  on  the  one  hand  and 
gagged  mincing  neutrality  on  the  other  hand. 
Party  spirit  is  often  so  fierce  and  intolerant  in 
this  country  that  common  commercial,  manufac- 
turing and  agricultural  interests  are  divided  and 
arrayed  against  each  other  by  a  radical  journal-' 
istic  partisanship  which  is  in  reality  beneficial  to 
nobody.  Of  course  the  editor  of  a  milk  and 
water  non-partisan  sheet  would  be  restrained 
from  saying  what  his  conscience  proclaimed  on 
the  most  vital  commercial  and  agricultural  topics, 
and  this  is  not  the  sort  of  a  paper  that  could  live 


242  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 

long  anywhere.  But  between  the  extremes  of 
rabid  partisanship  on  the  one  hand  and  gagged 
neutrality  on  the  other,  the  writer  believes  there 
is  a  happy  medium — a  position  from  which  a 
journal  may  openly  and  heartily  advocate  the 
principles  and  commend  the  measures  of  that 
party  to  which  its  connections  ally  it,  yet 
frankly  dissent  from  its  party's  course  on  a  par- 
ticular question,  and  even  denounce  its  party 
candidates  if  they  were  shown  to  be  deficient  in 
capacity,  or,  far  worse,  in  integrity.  A  journal 
thus  loyal  to  its  guiding  convictions,  yet  ready  to 
expose  or  condemn  unworthy  conduct  or  inciden- 
tal error  on  the  part  of  the  men  attached  to  its 
party,  must  be  far  more  effective,  even  party- wise, 
than  though  it  may  always  be  counted  on  to 
applaud  or  reprobate,  bless  or  curse,  as  the  party's 
prejudices  or  immediate  interests  might  seem  to 
prescribe.  Such  a  journal,  devoted  primarily, 
first,  last,  midst  and  at  all  times  to  the  commer- 
cial, manufacturing  and  agricultural  interests  of 
Ogden  and  vicinity,  and  further  devoted  to  the 
dissemination  of  pure  and  reliable  news,  would 
not  only  be  a  great  friend  to  the  business  men  of 
Ogden  but  a  blessing  to  the  people  of  the  entire 
Territory.  Such  a  paper,  we  venture  to  hope,  will 
yet  be  established  by  the  business  men  of  Ogden. 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  243 

Since  this  book  was  mostly  written  the  author, 
Charles  W.  Hemenway,  has  been  released  from 
jail  and  restored  to  liberty  through  the  kindness 
of  Chief  Justice  C.  S.  Zane,  and  the  executive 
clemency  of  His  Excellency,  Governor  Caleb 
W.  West.  He  entered  upon  the  term  of  his  im- 
prisonment in  Weber  County  Jail,  July  29th,  1886, 
and  was  pardoned  on  the  fifteenth  of  Novem- 
ber following.  He  thus  escaped  eight  and  a 
half  months  of  his  original  sentence,  and  besides 
cherishing  lively  sensations  of  gratitude  towards 
the  Governor  who  granted,  and  the  Chief  Justice 
who  recommended,  his  pardon,  he  is  happy  to 
address  the  reader  his  choicest  benedictions  while 
once  again  breathing  the  air  of  freedom.  Au 
Revoir. 


APPENDIX  A. 


AN  OPEN  TESTAMENTARY  LETTER. 


To  His  Excellency  Governor  Caleb  W.  West,  His 
Honor  Chief  Justice  Charles  S.  Zane,  the  non- 
Mormons  of  Ogden  and  the  People  of  the 
United  States: 

FELLOW  CITIZENS  : — As  the  first  breath  which 
I  inhaled  in  infancy  was  drawn  from  the  atmos- 
phere of  American  freedom,  and  the  first  lessons 
instilled  into  my  youthful  heart  by  parental  care 
taught  me  to  believe  that  American  liberty  was 
a  grand  and  glorious  guarantee  of  individual 
equality  and  impartial  justice  to  all  men  under 
the  sovereignty  of  the  greatest  republic  on  earth ; 
and,  whereas,  from  the  earliest  years  of  my  under- 
standing, I  have  gratefully  thanked  heaven  that 
I  was  born  in  "the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home 
of  the  brave,"  and  with  a  steadfast  faith  contin- 
ually have  ever  looked  in  most  implicit  confidence 
to  the  sovereign  people  for  redress  from  public 
wrongs,  for  protection  in  the  pursuit  of  happiness, 


246  MEMOIRS    OP    MY    DAY. 

for  sympathy  in  misfortune,  and,  above  all,  for 
defense  from  the  hideous  monsters  of  persecution 
and  oppression,  therefore  do  I  now  appeal  to  the 
chief  executive  and  judicial  authority  of  the 
American  Territory  in  which  I  now  live,  and  to 
the  people  of  the  whole  country  as  well  —not  that 
I  have  any  private  grievance  which  alone  en- 
titles me  to  a  hearing  before  such  an  august 
tribunal,  but  rather  because  that  in  connection 
with  the  public  treatment  of  my  humble  self,  as 
a  native-born,  true  and  loyal  American  citizen,  I 
have  witnessed,  here  in  Utah,  a  great  and  lamen- 
table perversion  of  public  justice,  which  in 
principle  and  effect  at  least — if  not  in  enor- 
mity— equals  the  most  dangerous  and  repulsive 
aspects  of  monarchial  favoritism  and  Asiatic 
tyranny. 

As  I  live  and  love  the  mother  who  gave  me 
birth  and  reared  me  through  infancy  with  ma- 
ternal loving  kindness  and  tender,  prayerful  care ; 
as  I  hope  for  immortality  beyond  the  clouds  of 
death,  and  pray  that  the  last  time  my  eyes  shall 
be  permitted  to  behold  the  light  of  day,  it  may 
illumine  an  undivided  and  sanctified  Union,  a 
free  and  happy  people  preserved  in  peace  and 
unity  by  justice  administered  with  equality,  and 
exalted  by  the  universal  abolition  of  persecu- 


MEMOIRS    OF   MY    DAY.  247 

tion  or  tyrannical  discriminations  under  the  stars 
and  stripes ;  as  I  live,  so  do  I,  without  malice  or 
the  remotest  desire  for  revenge,  state  truly  all  the 
essential  facts  in  the  following  case,  which  I  beg 
you  will  candidly  consider  and  adjudicate  in 
your  own  hearts,  at  least. 

In  the  first  months  of  the  year  1884,  a  young 
stranger,  then  in  the  twenty-fourth  year  of  his 
age,  came  to  Utah.  He  was  an  American,  and 
had  acquired  some  proficiency  in  the  profession 
of  a  newspaper  writer.  He  had  spent  the  whole 
of  his  few  adult  years  in  a  studious,  sober,  honest 
pilgrimage  through  distant  lands,  that  he  might, 
by  observation  and  experience,  gather  wisdom 
withal.  In  traveling  as  a  stranger  from  place  to 
place  he  had  always  and  everywhere  sought  out 
the  purest  and  best  people  with  whom  to  associate 
himself,  and  when  circumstances  prevented  him 
from  forming  social  relationships  with  the  better 
class  in  any  community,  he  contented  himself  by 
remaining  aloof  and  alone.  Following  this  invari- 
able rule  of  his,  when  he  came  to  Utah,  he 
affiliated  with  some  humble,  somewhat  unpol- 
ished, but  pure  and  honest  people  who  happened 
to  profess  a  religion  called  Mormonism.  In  the 
course  of  time  he  expressed  his  opinions  in  favor 
of  these  peculiar  religionists,  but  without,  at 


248  MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY. 

that  time  at  least,  abusing  their  enemies,  when 
forthwith  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune  began  to  abuse 
him  scurrilously  and  personally.  A  few  months 
later  he  accepted  a  position  as  editor  of  a  Mor- 
mon newspaper,  and  removed  to  Ogden.  A  few 
few  months  later  still,  he  was  unfortunate 
enough  to  publish  three  several  articles,  which 
were  founded  upon  reports  that  reached  him  from 
various  apparently  reliable  sources,  and  his  first 
intimation  that  these  articles  were  considered 
libels  came  in  the  form  of  assault,  arrest  and 
indictment.  As  he  was  a  total  stranger  to  the 
parties  considered  libeled,  it  was  manifest  that 
he  could  have  had  no  personal  malice  in  the 
premises;  nevertheless,  without  being  given  an 
opportunity  to  correct  any  errors  he  may  have 
inadvertently  made,  he  was  forced  to  trial  before 
a  jury  composed  exclusively  of  his  political  ene- 
mies, without  being  able  to  secure  any  legal  pro- 
tection, and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  convicted  in  one 
case;  and  foreseeing  like  inevitable  consequences 
in  the  two  remaining  cases  pending  against  him, 
he  pleaded  guilty  in  each  instance  as  a  mere 
formality  to  save  trouble  and  time.  The  Court, 
of  its  own  motion,  suspended  sentence,  in 
part,  for  a  time,  but  eventually  taxed  him  large 
sums  repeatedly,  and  consigned  him  to  jail 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  249 

for  one  year  for  one  alleged  libel  upon  a  per- 
son who  did  not  know  of  the  existence  of  the 
alleged  libelous  article  until  after  the  accused 
was  indicted  by  an  exclusively  hostile  partisan 
grand  jury.  In  the  case  tried,  where  the  party 
chiefly  aggrieved,  as  a  prosecuting  witness,  upon 
oath  swore  that  the  alleged  libel  upon  him  did 
him  no  harm,  but  perhaps  did  him  some  good, 
the  accused  stranger  editor  was  taxed  $200  and 
costs,  $85.  He  was  too  poor  to  meet  this  sum, 
and  a  generous  public  came  to  his  relief  in  that 
instance,  but  the  subsequent  penalties  over- 
whelmed him  in  prison  and  crushed  him  beneath 
a  load  of  debt.  Perhaps  his  doom  was  just;  per- 
haps it  was  shamefully  unjust;  that  is  not  for 
him  to  say.  However,  for  the  sake  of  argument, 
let  us  concede  that  he  was  righteously  fined  and 
imprisoned;  in  that  case,  can  Your  Excellency, 
Governor  West,  or  Your  Honor,  Chief  Justice 
Zane,  who  are  pledged  to  observe  the  impartial 
execution  of  the  laws,  explain  why  the  poor, 
defenseless  and  undefended  stranger,  American 
citizen  as  he  was,  should  be  even  justly  mulcted 
by  large  fines  and  then  thrown  into  prison  be- 
cause while  editing  a  Mormon  paper  he  printed 
some  (for  the  sake  of  argument)  conceded  but 
inadvertent  libels,  while  the  anti-Mormon  writer 


250  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 

of  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune  has  been  thus  far  per- 
mitted to  publish  the  following  blotch  on 
journalism  as  well  as  cruel  slander  with  perfect 
impunity? 

The  proposition  to  establish  a  penal  colon}'  on  an  island 
of  the  Northern  Sea  is  a  splendid  one.  There  is  great 
wrong  in  placing  the  young  prisoner  convicted  of  his  first 
offense  in  company  with  hardened  old  scoundrels  who  have 
outlived  all  shame  and  all  self  respect,  and  who,  feeling 
that  hope  is  dead,  have  but  the  one  desire  left,  to  wreak  as 
much  vengeance  on  society  as  possible.  In  point  of  fact 
there  should  be  a  series  of  islands  occupied  on  which  pris- 
oners might  be  graded  according  to  the  nature  of  their 
crimes.  Grand  larceny  thieves  would  occupy  one  of  the 
islands;  robbers  and  murderers  another;  those  guilty  of 
bigamy  another,  etc.  This  idea  receives  a  new  impulse, 
and  the  need  of  an  arrangement  of  the  kind  is  freshly 
brought  to  mind  by  the  performances  of  Hemenway,  of  the 
Ogden  Herald,  who  has  been  arraigned  on  two  or  three 
indictments  for  criminal  libel.  His  paper  records  the  speech 
that  he  made  a  day  or  two  since  in  behalf  of  sustaining 
the  demurrers  which  he  had  interposed  to  the  complaints 
against  him.  This  argument  reveals  the  wretch  in  a  new 
light.  He  had  before  clearly  established  that  he  was  a 
scoundrel  and  one  of  the  most  brazen  of  liars;  his  argu- 
ment shows  that  he  is  besides  a  cur  so  dirty  that  the  very 
idea  of  insulting  prisoners  who  are  only  guilty  of  robbery  and 
bigamy  and  larceny  and  such  ordinary  crimes,  by  com- 
pelling them  to  bear  the  unusual  punishment  of  an  enforced 
confinement  in  Hemenway's  society  is  horrible.  The 


MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY.  251 

wretch  is  simply  a  monster  in  human  form,  as  cruel  as 
he  is  cowardly,  as  brazen  as  he  is  depraved.  Had  Ananias 
left  families  by  two  wives;  had  the  other  wife  been  as  ac- 
complished in  one  peculiar  faculty  as  was  Sapphira;  had  the 
children  of  these  two  families  intermarried  among  them- 
selves and  with  the  most  depraved  of  the  world  outside;  had 
their  masterly  ability  in  one  peculiar  line  increased  with 
each  generation  for  eighteen  hundred  years,  as  a  measure- 
less and  irreclaimable  liar  Hemenway  would  have  stood  off 
the  whole  crowd.  The  cheek  of  the  Frenchman  who  mur- 
dered both  his  parents  and  then  asked  for  a  full  pardon  on 
the  ground  that  he  was  an  orphan,  was  an  exhibition  of 
blushing  modesty  compared  with  Hemenway's  attempt  to 
establish  his  innocence  of  ever  having  said  a  disrespectful 
word  of  Judge  Zane.  His  pen  pictures,  as  drawn  by  him- 
self in  the  Herald,  of  his  own  appearance  when  arraigned 
at  the  bar  of  justice,  would  make  a  peacock  fold  his  tail  and 
hide  under  a  corn  crib  or  behind  the  smoke-house.  With 
the  forehead  of  a  wolf  and  the  heart  of  a  hyena,  he  barks 
vociferously  that  he  never  sought  to  assassinate  a  good 
name  or  to  rob  a  man  of  his  character,  and,  then,  antici- 
pating the  swift  probability  that  justice  will  overtake  him, 
he  talks  of  a  possible  term  in  the  penitentiary  in  the  same 
tone  that  St.  Stephen  might  have  used  when  contemplating 
martyrdom.  We  do  not  believe  that  the  wretch  was  ever 
in  childhood  held  on  the  bosom  of  a  woman  or  lulled  to 
sleep  by  a  mother's  lullaby.  Rather  we  believe  he  was 
dropped  in  an  egg  in  the  sand  by  some  reptile,  and  hatched 
by  the  east  wind,  all  his  attributes  are  so  inhuman.  He  is 
simply  a  mental  and  moral  deformity,  so  much  so,  that 
when  we  compare  him  to  a  reptile  or  to  a  spawn  of  a  devil- 
fish we  feel  like  making  an  abject  apology  to  the  saurian  and 


252  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 

to  the  octopus.  Still,  in  mercy  to  the  prisoners  in  the  peni- 
tentiary, to  avoid  wounding  their  self-respect  too  sorely,  we 
hope,  if  the  jury  convicts  him,  the  Court  will  suspend  sen- 
tence pending  decent  behavior,  or  until  the  brute,  in  utter 
loathing  of  himself,  shall  some  morning  commit  hari  kari, 
or  until  that  penal  settlement  up  in  the  Behring  sea  shall 
be  established. 

Come  now,  Governor  West  and  Mr.  Chief  Jus- 
tice Zane  and  Gentiles  of  Ogden,  I  lay  this  article, 
published  in  your  favorite  organ,  before  your 
judgment  and  your  conscience,  and  challenge 
you,  each  and  all,  to  pronounce  it  anything  but 
an  unmitigated  libel  under  the  law  of  Utah. 
Whether  it  be  true  (as  it  manifestly  cannot  be) 
or  false,  is  it  not  an  atrocious  libel  still  ?  And 
why  are  not  both  editors  served  alike?  Was  the 
fined  and  imprisoned  editor  particularly  amen- 
able to  extreme  punishment  because  he  was  poor 
and  defenseless  and,  by  chance,  your  political 
antagonist;  was  the  poor,  mulcted  and  incarcer- 
ated scribe  the  more  guilty  because  he,  though  a 
Gentile  and  a  native-born  American,  happened 
to  publish  his  inadvertent  libels  in  a  Mormon 
paper,  through  the  columns  of  which  he  had 
striven  to  defend  honestly  and  faithfully  not  the 
misdemeanors  or  crimes  of  the  Mormons,  but 
simply  their  rights  and  professed  principles  of 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  253 

their  belief?  Or  was  the  Tribune  writer  therefore 
exempt  from  all  punishment  merely  because  he 
was  rich  and  influential  among  those  who  admin- 
ister the  laws  here;  and  more  particularly  be- 
cause he  besmirched  the  character  and  thus 
exposed  to  ostracism  a  brother  writer  and  fellow 
American  citizen,  who  perhaps  mistakenly,  but, 
withal,  conscientiously  defended  the  despised 
Mormons,  even  as  a  lawyer  would  his  client,  and 
who  was  poor,  defenseless  and  a  stranger  in  Utah? 
But,  mark  you !  I  would  not  have  the  editor  of 
the  Tribune  exposed  even  to  the  just  penalties  of 
his  cruel  and  rancorous  assault  upon  myself, 
merely  out  of  personal  gratification,  for  I  would 
regret  to  see  even  him  pained  or  mulcted,  how- 
ever little,  but  weightier  still  is  my  grief  and 
lamentation  to  behold,  in  his  peculiar  immunity, 
the  debauchery  of  American  justice  and  the 
practical  destruction  of  the  equality  of  American 
citizenship  before  the  law.  Yett  more  especially, 
not  only  in  the  sacred  name  of  your  loyalty  to 
American  justice,  which  is  the  chief  safeguard 
to  the  liberty  bequeathed  us  by  our  revolutionary 
fathers,  but  in  the  name  of  the  sanctity  of  Ameri- 
can motherhood  do  I  call  upon,  and  by  virtue  of 
your  own  love  of  equity  and  fatherland,  compel 
Your  Excellency  and  Your  Honor  and  you,  ye 


254  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

Gentiles  of  Ogden,  to  consider  the  following 
which  I  re-quote  from  the  editorial  columns  of 
the  Salt  Lake  Tribune  of  January,  1886,  and 
either  say  by  your  silence  that  you  acquiesce  in 
this  dastard  attack  upon  the  maternal  character 
of  a  gray-haired,  venerable  old  lady,  tottering 
upon  the  brink  of  the  grave,  or  else  speak  and 
act,  that  an  American  mother's  hitherto  un- 
blemished fame  may  not  be  hastened  in  sorrow 
into  the  shroud  of  death,  by  this  wanton  black 
aspersive  assumption,  which  can  become  nobody, 
and  would  deserve  no  more  notice  than  the 
hawkings  of  a  blatherskite,  had  it  not  been 
heralded  all  over  the  land  through  the  medium 
of  a  newspaper : 

"We  [the  Tribune]  do  not  believe  that  the  wretch 
[meaning  Hemenway]  was  ever  in  childhood  held  on  the 
bosom  of  a  woman  or  lulled  to  sleep  by  a  mother's  lullaby. 
Kather  we  believe  he  was  dropped  in  an  egg  in  the  sand  by 
some  reptile  and  hatched  by  the  east  wind,  all  his  attri- 
but<  s  are  so  inhuman." — Tribune  Editorial,  January, 
1886. 

By  a  method  of  cowardly  innuendo  the  writer 
of  this  billingsgate  here  virtually  asserts  that 
my  mother  was  a  reptile.  In  the  excess  of  his 
hateful  malice  he  can  assume  that  a  venerable 
Gentile  American  mother  like  a  serpent  dropped 


MEMOIRS   OF    kY    DAY.  255 

her  offspring  as  an  egg  in  the  sand,  and  was  scj 
devoid  of  maternal  instincts  as  to  allow  him  to 
be  developed  by  the  east  wind  of  chance;  so  that 
it  was  all  her  fault  because  the  darker  epithets  in 
the  category  of  reproach  were  to  be  so  viciously 
applied  to  him. 

In  defense  of  my  mother,  I  lay  this  matter 
before  you,  my  most  august  peers,  and  in  the 
name  of  my  American  birth  and  citizenship  I 
implore  at  your  hands  simply  relief  from  the 
irreparable  injury  and  ostracism  which  the  above 
quoted,  base  Tribune  calumniations  have  caused. 
I  have  been  fined  and  imprisoned  until,  in  debt 
and  poverty,  I  am  no  longer  able  to  think  of 
bearing  the  expense  of  prosecuting  my  persecutor 
and  reviler  and  my  mother's  cowardly  traducer, 
at  civilsuit.  Moreover,  I  want  no  remuneration 
for  an  injury  that  must  ever  be  irreparable,  but  I 
do  again,  as  I  have  repeatedly  done  publicly 
before,  beg  for  such  poor  relief  as  the  judiciary  of 
Utah  can  grant  by  legally  branding  the  calum- 
niations a  libel,  without  further  distressing  the 
pitiable  man  who  perpetrated  them,  beyond  the 
necessary  gnawings  of  remorse  which  he  is  sure 
to  feel  sooner  or  later.  But  whether  I  now  pro- 
cure redress  or  not  at  your  hands,  I  lay  this 
open  testamentary  letter  before  my  countrymen 


256  MEMOIRS   OF    MY    DAY. 

throughout  the  United  States,  in  all  confidence 
that  they,  in  good  time,  will  demand  a  release  of 
the  American  name  from  the  reproach  of  such  a 
glaring  and  pernicious,  effectually  oppressive 
and  tyrannical,  gross  inequality  of  justice  as  that 
presented  in  my  case  compared  with  the  local 
legal  treatment  of  the  Tribune  writer.  If  I  erred 
to  the  injury  of  others,  I  have  paid  the  severe 
penalty  as  best  I  could,  and  moreover,  have  I 
striven  to  right  such  errors  by  every  means  in 
my  power,  but  after  all  this  I  was  no  sooner 
released  from  prison  through  the  grace  of  Your 
Honor,  Mr.  Chief  Justice,  than,  as  yourself  can 
witness,  if  you  have  a  clear  recollection,  this 
Tribune  writer  again  poured  forth  the  vials  of 
his  vilification  upon  my  crushed  and  humble 
person,  extending  the  barriers  of  ostracism  against 
me,  and  festering  my  pathway  with  thorns. 

Fellow  citizens,  guardians  of  justice  and  the 
laws!  say  that  I  do  not  appeal  to  your  honor, 
your  love  of  fair  play  and  equity  and  to  your 
best  judgment  in  vain. 

CHARLES  W.  HEMENWAY. 

OGDEN,  January  22nd,  1887. 


APPENDIX  B. 


A     TOUCHING     ADDRESS     BEFORE     THE     FIRST     DIS- 
TRICT  COURT. 

WORDS   THAT    LAY   BARE   THE    ATTITUDE    OF     INDI- 
VIDUAL   MORMONS   TOWARDS   THE 
EDMUNDS   LAW. 


WHEREAS  the  attitude  of  Mormons  accused  of 
illegal  cohabitation  is  not  by  any  means  gener- 
ally comprehended  accurately,  I  have  deemed  it 
of  interest  to  reproduce  the  address  which  Mr.  F. 
A.  Brown  delivered  before  the  First  District 
Court,  at  Ogden,  on  the  occasion  of  his  trial,  June 
30th,  1885,  on  the  charge  of  unlawful  cohabita- 
tion. Mr.  Brown,  a  venerable,  gray-haired  man, 
was  permitted  to  take  the  witness  stand.  While 
under  oath  he  gave  the  United  States  Prosecuting 
Attorney  all  the  testimony  necessary  to  ensure 
his  conviction  under  the  rulings  of  the  Utah 
courts,  and  then,  while  yet  under  oath,  he  made  use 
of  the  following  language,  every  word  of  which,  I 
am  sure,  he  felt  most  deeply  convicted,  was  true : 

18 


258  MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY. 

If  the  Court  please: 

Notwithstanding  I  have  able  counsel  to  plead  my  cause, 
I  am  happy  to  have  the  privilege  of  speaking  a  few  words 
in  my  own  defense.  I  descended  from  the  old  Puritan 
stock  of  the  New  England  States ;  the  land  of  early  piety 
and  steady  habits.  My  forefathers  bravely  fought  and  bled 
during  the  ever  memorable  period — the  American  Revolu- 
tion, which  brought  our  national  independence  and 
bestowed  the  rich  boon  of  religious  liberty  upon  their 
posterity.  My  parents  emigrated  from  Connecticut  to  the 
western  portion  of  the  State  of  New  York  in  the  early  days, 
and  amid  great  adversity  and  the  almost  insurmountable 
hardships  of  a  new  country,  reared  a  family  of  ten  children, 
I  being  the  seventh  child.  I  learned  in  early  childhood  to 
love  my  country,  and  her  great  government  and  institu- 
tions, and  revere  and  render  strict  obedience  to  all  her  laws, 
which  I  have  done  from  my  youth  up  to  the  present  time. 
While  absent  from  my  dear  home  and  beloved  country, 
sojourning  among  strangers  in  foreign  lands,  I  could  look 
with  pride  upon  the  flag  of  my  country,  as  it  waved  grace- 
fully in  the  breeze,  welcoming  the  downt-rodden  and  op- 
pressed of  all  nations  to  "the  land  of  the  free  and  the 
home  of  the  brave' ' — and  call  it  mine. 

I  was  taught  by  my  parents,  and  in  the  Sunday  school,  to 
reverence  the  Holy  Bible  and  receive  it  as  the  word  of  God, 
and  to  live  according  to  its  precepts.  My  parents  belonged  to 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  I  was  traditionated  in 
their  doctrines  and  reared  in  their  faith,  until  I  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  when  I  first  heard  the  fulness  of  the  Gos- 
pel of  Jesus  Christ  as  revealed  through  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith. 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY    DAY.  259 

. 

I  was  now  old  enough  to  act  upon  my  own  agency  and 
think  for  myself,  and  after  a  thorough  inv<  stigation  of  the 
scriptures  of  divine  truth,  and  the  doctrines  taught  by  the 
Elders  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints, 
I  became  convinced  ;  and  from  an  honest  conviction  of  my 
heart,  on  the  eleventh  day  of  February,  A.  D.  1844,  I 
yielded  obedience  to  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  and 
thereby  received  a  knowledge  of  its  truth,  and  also  the 
divine  mission  of  Joseph  Smith,  as  Jesus  has  said  :  "He  that 
doeth  my  will  shall  know  of  the  doctrine  whether  it  be  of 
God  or  whether  it  be  of  man."  By  embracing  an  unpopu- 
lar religion,  I  was  belied  and  reviled  by  my  relatives, 
and  those  who  had  formerly  professed  great  friendship. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  I  gathered  with  the 
Saints  at  Nauvoo,  and  suffered  with  them  in  their  expul- 
sion from  that  place  at  the  hands  of  a  ruthless  mob. 

On  the  fifth  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1856,  I  left  Council  Bluffs 
(where  I  resided  some  six  years)  for  Utah,  and  arrived 
here  in  September  following.  On  the  second  day  of 
April,  A.  D.  1857,  I  accepted  of  and  entered  into  the  holy 
order  of  celestial  marriage,  as  revealed  through  Joseph 
Smith,  from  an  honest  conviction  of  my  heart  that  it  was  a 
pure  principle  and  had  emanated  from  God,  and  that  it  was 
my  duty  to  obey  it.  I  was  convinced  that  if  I  would  be  a 
child  of  Abraham,  I  must  do  the  works  of  Father  Abraham 
and  follow  the  worthy  example  of  all  the  prophets  and  holy 
men  of  old,  who  had  the  divine  favor  of  Almighty  God, 
that  I  might  be  worthy  to  enjoy  their  society  when  I  pass 
behind  the  veil. 

Over  forty  years  of  my  life  have  been  spent  in  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  and  I  have  never  heard 
a  false  doctrine  taught  during  that  length  of  time,  or  the 


260  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

first  wrong  counsel  given  by  the  leaders  of  the  Church.  A 
more  loyal  people  does  not  dwell  in  these  United  States  or  in 
any  other  portion  of  the  earth. 

I  have  struggled  in  poverty  now  nearly  thirty  long 
years  to  provide  for  my  beloved  wives  and  dear  children  as 
a  fond  father  and  a  kind  husband  should;  and  I  have  kept 
inviolate  my  solemn  vows  and  most  sacred  contracts  that  I 
made  with  these  women,  up  to  this  time  to  the  best  of  my 
ability,  and,  I  believe,  to  their  entire  satisfaction. 

I  have  as  good  and  respectable  a  family  as  any  monog- 
omist  in  the  United  States  or  the  world,  and  feel  proud  of 
them.  My  honorable  Gentile  neighbors,  Mr.  Read,  Mr. 
Leland,  Postmaster  Littlefield  and  others,  have  never  been 
disgraced  by  them,  and,  I  think,  have  never  had  any  cause 
to  be  ashamed  of  them. 

I  now  ask  Your  Honor  what  I  am  to  do?  Shall  I  break 
the  most  sacred  obligations  man  can  enter  into,  with  im- 
punity, and  sever  the  strongest  ties  of  love  and  affection  that 
have  grown  up  in  the  human  heart  between  husband  and 
wives,  parents  and  children,  to  gratify  religious  bigotry  or 
the  spleen  of  men?  Shall  I  abandon  my  wives  and  children 
(who  are  as  dear  to  me  as  Your  Honor's,  if  you  have  any, 
are  to  you,or  any  other  man's  wife  and  children  are  to  him) 
and  cast  them  off  upon  the  charities  of  a  cold  world,  and 
thereby  render  my  wives  prostitutes  and  my  children  bastards 
and  or  phans?  Or  shall  I  keep  my  covenants  sacred  with 
my  family,  like  a  high-minded,  honorable  and  honest  man? 

I  know  not  of  what  metal  Your  Honor  is  composed,  but, 
for  myself,  before  I  will  prove  recreant  to  my  wives  and 
children  and  betray  my  trust  I  will  suffer  my  head  to  be 
severed  from  my  body. 

I  have  not  wronged  a  man  or  a  woman  on  earth  during 


MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY.  261 

my  life  that  I  am  aware  of.  I  have  trespassed  upon  no 
one's  rights  to  my  knowledge.  This  is  the  first  time  in  my 
life  I  have  been  called  upon  to  answer  to  a  charge  of 
crime  against  my  country's  laws.  I  have  either  been  too 
shrewd  for  the  officers  of  the  law,  or  I  have  proved  myself 
loyal  and  lived  above  the  law  for  the  past  sixty-three  years. 

Coercion  is  not  known  in  the  marital  relations  of  the  Lat- 
ter-day Saints.  They  have  entered  into  these  holy  relations 
mutually  of  their  own  free  will  and  choice,  as  a  vital  part 
of  their  religion,  not  to  merely  imitate  the  example  of  the 
prophets  and  patriarchs  of  old,  but  they  have  embraced  the 
celestial  order  of  marriage  for  time  and  all  eternity,  because 
God  has  revealed  it  unto  them  through  his  prophet,  and  com- 
manded us  to  obey  it.  Your  Honor  can  assign  us  to  prisons 
and  assess  fines  and  even  put  us  to  death,  but  that  will  only 
place  us  beyond  your  power  and  put  us  in  possession  of  the 
rich  blessings  God  has  promised  unto  us  through  obedience 
to  His  everlasting  Gospel. 

If  Congress  can  by  enactment  hinder  the  free  exercise  of 
that  part  of  our  religion  in  taking  to  ourselves  a  plurality 
of  wives,  and  not  violate  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  then  Congress  can  hinder  the  free  exercise  of  our 
religion  in  being  baptized  for  the  remission  of  our  sins,  the 
paying  of  our  tithes,  the  gathering  to  Zion,  or  the  attend- 
ing to  any  other  ordinance  or  requirement  of  the  Gospel  ot 
Christ.  Our  faith  is  a  living  faith ;  for  it  produces  works  ; 
hence  we  show  our  faith  by  our  works.  When  it  ceases  to 
produce  works,  it  becomes  a  dead  faith;  for  the  Apostle  James 
has  declared  that  "faith  without  works  is  dead,  being  alone." 
As  well  might  Congress  by  unconstitutional  laws  determine 
the  number  of  children  our  wives  should  bear  unto  us. 

If  the  conscience  of  the  American  people  is  outraged  by 


262  MEMOIRS   OP   MY   DAY. 

my  conduct  in  obeying  what  my  conscience  prompts  me  to 
be  my  duty  to  my  God,  and  demand  my  liberty,  they  are 
welcome  to  it.  Decisions  of  courts,  enactments  of  Con- 
gresses and  edicts  of  tyrants,  strike  no  terror  to  me,  when 
they  come  in  contact  with  my  known  duty  to  my  God. 
I  hope  our  government  and  her  officers  will  prove  as  zealous 
in  the  execution  of  the  Edmunds  law,  in  punishing 
monogamists  who  cohabit  with  more  than  one  woman,  and 
cause  them  to  live  a  life  of  shame,  as  they  are  in  prose- 
cuting polygamists  who  provide  for  and  honor  their  wives, 
and  rear  and  educate  their  children,  and  thereby  prove  to 
the  world  that  they  administer  the  law  impartially.  If  the 
conscience  of  the  American  people  demand  it,  I  bow  sub- 
missively to  an  unconstitutional  law,  which  Your  Honor 
has  the  power  to  execute.  I  am  in  your  hands,  and  if 
Your  Honor  thinks  it  will  subserve  the  interests  of  our  coun- 
try or  benefit  humanity  in  any  way  by  inflicting  pains  and 
penalties  upon  me,  for  doing  what  I  know  to  be  my  duty  to 
my  God,  you  can  incarcerate  me  in  prison.  Prisons  nor 
death  itself  can  not  obliterate  the  knowledge  God  has  given 
me  of  His  great  latter-day  work. 

I  stand  here  innocent  of  any  known  crime;  I  have  a  con- 
science void  of  offense  before  God  and  all  men.  I  am 
guiltless  of  violating  the  law  of  God  or  any  constitutional 
law  of  the  land. 

Now  while  you  are  enjoying  your  liberty,  and  the  immu- 
nities of  a  free  governmf  nt,  and  while  gamblers,  libertines 
and  prostitutes  can  revel  in  sin  and  corruption,  without  the 
fear  of  prosecution  or  of  being  deprived  of  their  liberties, 
please  remember  me  and  my  brethren  whom  you  are  instru- 
mental in  depriving  of  these  heaven-born  treasures,  being 
innocent  of  any  crime. 


MEMOIRS    OP    MY    DAY.  263 

While  you  and  yours  are  enjoying  all  that  is  near  and 
dear  on  earth,  supplied  with  all  the  comforts  and  even  lux- 
uries of  life,  please  remember  the  innocent  women  and 
children  you  cause  to  suffer  by  tearing  from  them  their  only 
support. 

I  have  made  up  my  mind  that  while  water  runs  or 
grass  grows,  and  a  drop  of  blood  flows  through  my  veins,  or 
I  am  permitted  to  breathe  the  breath  of  life,  I  shall  obey 
the  supreme  laws  of  my  God  in  preference  to  the  change- 
able and  imperfect  laws  of  man;  and  I  can  only  exclaim 
in  the  beautiful  language  of  the  heroic  and  patriotic 
American  orator,  Patrick  Henry,  "give  me  liberty  or  give 
me  death/' 

In  conclusion  I  wish  to  say  this  to  the  Court,  as  you  are 
a  stranger  among  us  and  ignorant  of  our  doctrines  and 
practices:  that  we  honor  and  respect  you  in  your  posi- 
tion as  a  representative  of  our  great  government.  I 
entertain  no  malice  in  my  heart  towards  this  court  or  any 
of  my  accusers.  I  will  therefore  say  to  Your  Honor  before 
you  pass  sentence  upon  me,  to  consider  well  all  the  circum- 
stances connected  with  my  case.  I  am  well  known  in 
Ogden  City,  and  have  been  for  the  past  twenty-eight  years, 
and  I  defy  any  man,  woman  or  child  to  justly  accuse  me  of 
wronging  them. 

No  one  ever  heard  me  take  the  name  of  God  in  vain;  no 
one  ever  saw  me  intoxicated.  No  one  ever  knew  me  to 
patronize  houses  of  ill-fame  or  gambling  dens.  I  have 
lived  above  reproach  and  set  a  Christian  example  before  my 
family  and  all  the  world,  and  no  one  can  justly  accuse  me 
of  violating  the  laws  of  my  country  or  of  committing 
any  crime,  unless  it  is  a  crime  to  love  my  wives  and  chil- 
dren. If  I  have  embraced  an  error  in  my  religion,  come 


264  MEMOIRS   OF   MY   DAY. 

to  me  in  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  and  point  it  out,  taking 
the  word  of  God  that  you  profess  to  believe  in,  and  show  me 
any  portion  of  my  faith  false  and  I  will  renounce  it;  and  if 
you  will  present  me  something  better  than  I  already  have, 
I  will  accept  it  gladly. 

I  know  the  doctrines  that  are  preached  by  the  Latter-day 
Saints  are  the  pure  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  For  this 
Knowledge  I  am  not  dependent  upon  the  testimony  of 
Joseph  Smith,  Brigham  Young,  John  Taylor  or  any  other 
man.  I  have  obtained  this  knowledge  for  myself  through 
the  revelations  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  me.  With  what  measure 
you  mete  unto  others  it  shall  be  measured  unto  you  again. 

I  expect  to  stand  before  the  bar  of  God,  in  the  court  above, 
and  give  an  account  of  the  deeds  done  in  the  body,  and  if  I 
cannot  obtain  my  rights  in  the  courts  on  earth,  I  have  no 
fears  but  that  I  shall  receive  equity  and  justice  at  the  hands 
of  God  in  heaven,  and  I  can  afford  to  wait.  I  would  to 
God  that  not  only  this  court,  but  also  all  who  are  interested 
in  persecuting  the  Saints  of  God,  and  all  who  hear  me  this 
day  were  both  almost  and  altogether  such  as  I  am,  except 
my  bonds. 

May  God  have  rnercy  upon  this  Court,  and  all  who 
are  engaged  in  this  unholy  crusade  against  an  honest, 
virtuous,  industrious  and  God-fearing  people.  This  is  all  I 
wish  to  say  at  present,  thanking  you  for  your  kind  indul- 
gence. 

F.  A.  BROWN. 

The  subscriber  of  the  above  address  (which  we 
give  exactly  as  it  was  read  in  court)  is  not 
what  would  be  called  a  Mormon  leader.  He 


MEMOIRS    OF    MY    DAY.  265 

is,  however,  a  fair  representative  of  the  masses 
of  the  unfortunate  Mormons  who  have  been 
prosecuted  under  the  Edmunds  law.  His  senti- 
ments and  views  are  those  of  the  mass  of  the 
whole  Mormon  people.  I  know  him  to  be  all  he 
claims  to  be;  a  man  whose  word  no  one,  who  is 
acquainted  with  him,  would  for  a  moment  doubt 
on  an  ordinary  topic.  How  can  any  govern- 
ment justly,  or  at  all,  suppress  the  conscientious 
practices  of  such  men  by  any  legal  means?  is  a 
question  that  Congress  and  the  people  of  the 
United  States  ought  to  consider  carefully  before 
they  proceed  to  inflict  further  legal  punishments 
upon  the  Mormons. 

CHARLES  W.  HEMENWAY. 


'(>'*** 


THEATRE  BOOK  SHOP 

LD,  RARE  AND  NEW  BOOKS 


